


Ghost Rider : The Ghost Anomaly

by Mr00Writer



Category: Ghost Rider (Comics), Psycho-Pass
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:01:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25043563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mr00Writer/pseuds/Mr00Writer
Summary: Johnathon Blaze was ousted from his throne as the King of Hell. As punishment he was thrown to a world where beings like him don't exist. How would he live? And if he could what will he live for? And is it true that his new world doesn't have any demons at all? And how will the world, that is govern by Logic and reasoning, react to the Ghost Rider?
Relationships: Johnny Blaze & Daniel Ketch, Johnny Blaze & Stephen Strange, Kei Mikhail Ignatov/Shindo Arata
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there. This is my second story for this website. I've been reading the latest marvel comics regarding Ghost Rider and I immediately fell in love with the character. And since I'd just watched the whole Psycho-Pass anime, I decided to make a crossover fanfic on it. At first I was reluctant, because both universe are so different to each other. But then, I realized that this is a fanfiction. Anything can happen in here. The only limit is the imagination. 
> 
> So please do enjoy this work of mine.  
> Disclaimer: I do not own Psycho-Pass anime and the Marvel Comics Ghost Rider.

**Prologue**

* * *

**THE NONA TOWER**

The sparkling lights of Tokyo city shone brightly against the black, rainy night. Rain gushed heavily and soaked the rooftop of the Nona Tower. Thunder roared, deafeningly, on the city sky and lightning flashed sharply, for a second, revealing a shadow of a man that stretched along the surface of the tower's helipad.

A man was standing on the edge of the helipad, dangerously. He was clothed in a black, leather jacket that was soaked from the rain and drenched black, distressed pants. The man possessed a blond hair and heavenly blue eyes. His face bare a sad lost frown.

"It's over. But even if so I will never escape it." The man slowly look up the sky and closed his eyes and felt the brutal deluge of rain hitting his face. "I'm going back to hell…for I am it's King." He muttered in a depressing tone as he resigned to his hellish fate.

"Johnathon Blaze!" a new voice of a man, along with the crackle of thunder, burst from behind him. The man, named Johnathon Blaze, wasn't startle. _Took you long enough, Arata._ He turned to face the new arrival.

The new man stood a couple of meters away from him. He was clothed in a jacket of PSB and a standard inspector uniform underneath it. His hands clasped around his Dominator gun which glowed in blue green. Johnathon Blaze slowly made a sad, peaceful, smile at him.

"You're late Arata. Sadly I already choose a path to take…and you and your friends wouldn't like it." Johnny Blaze said in a defeated manner that made Arata frowned.

"Then Johnny…you know what will happen next right?" Arata's Dominator rang and began to dictate. ' **Crime Coefficient: 999. Enforcement Mode: Lethal Eliminator. Please aim carefully and eliminate the target.'**

The Dominator change into something menacing but Johnny only stared at it and didn't react. "Ah, the eyes of your can-opener god." The man then let out a light laugh which then change into a demonic one. Johnny's skin began to melt. Flames sprouted beneath his black boots and spiraled upwards.

His clothes began to change into something charred and scorched as if he came out from hell. The skin on his face ebbed away , revealing his blacken skull which was engulfed in fire. A pair of flaming red ember, which serve as 'Johnny's' eyes, stared down at Arata.

" **Well then, judge me boy! Judge the Ghost Rider, the King of Hell!"** the Ghost Rider roared in hell-like at the inspector whose face was still and plain. _I have seen you many time like that Johnny and I know what you want._ Slowly he made a triumphant smile at him and said.

"With pleasure then, Ghost Rider."

* * *

**Somewhere in Hell**

Hell was an unholy place. It was nothing but a barren dessert. A wasteland filled with monsters and horrifying nightmares. In this doomed realm, a powerful being that rides on along its cruel surface, lived and reigned.

This realm was the realm of the Spirit of vengeance, the Ghost Rider.

"Augh…" a low painful moan escaped from the lips of Johnny Blaze as he heaved for air. He was kneeling on the hot red sand, beneath a tree and the scorching red sun. Snake-like black chains were wrapped around his upper body.

"You…you should kill me now, you've just ousted me." He rasped the words in a defeated manner. "Hell's yours and you took my Spirit of vengeance out of my body. I have nothing now." He slowly made a beaten grin and looked up to the man who was holding the end of the chains, in front of him.

The man was wearing a black leather jacket and pants. His flaming skull shifted at Johnny's pitiful face. " **No,"** the man muttered, earning him a displease frown from Johnny.

His black boots took a step forward and leveled his eyes at Johnny. **"It's not that simple Johnny. You and the Spirit of vengeance will never be apart."**

Johnny's eyes turned icily at him. "What do you mean?! Its already out of me. I have nothing now! I am just…me." He barked the words, anger rose from his insides.

" **No."** the man answered plainly again as he stood up and took out an object from his jacket pocket. The object glinted to Johnny's eyes and it was an ancient gold medallion. **"Your punishment starts now, Johnny. I will send you to a place where beings like us don't exist."**

The former Ghost rider widened his eyes in terror. Johnny's life was all nothing but horror. After he was tricked by a demon to make a deal with him his life becomes hell. Monsters, Demons and even Angels hunted him down and he bear it all until he usurped the Throne of Hell. And now that he was going to be punished for making a single big mistake, for the first time in his life, he didn't know what he will do.

He felt lost and completely crushed.

"I am…sorry." Johnny lowered his head and closed his eyes in shame. "For I'd failed you." He added as the man tightened his right hand around the chain necklace of the golden medallion.

" **Yes, you should be."** The Ghost rider then kneeled and whispered to his ears. **"Now go.** "

* * *

**7 years later – Las Vegas, Nevada – Earth – 2###**

Johnathon Blaze stood on top of a hill. He looked straight ahead on the remains of a city. The ruined city of Las Vegas loomed over him. The massive and tall skeletal sky scrapers groaned loudly from their own heavy weights, the streets were littered with wrecked and abandoned cars. Life had already been extinguished from this place.

_Just like this 'Las Vegas', every city that I visited in this Earth was either dead or had turned into a warzone._ Johnny recalled the places that he had been to after he arrived. All of them were in chaos. "This Earth…is just like hell. There's no longer a good place that I could settle down. Except for one." He fixed his ragged brown cloak around his shoulders and sighed heavily.

"There are no demons here too…which means there's no reason for a Ghost Rider to exist here, on this 'Earth'." A shabby grin formed in his face. "Looks like he was right. My eternal punishment. Lonely exile. And Japan is the only place where I could do that." He muttered to his self and resumed walking towards the city.

* * *

**6 months later – somewhere near the coast of Japan. In the middle of a Typhoon**

If there's one thing that Johnny would know about his life was that he would always find himself in a dreadful pinch. The ship that he was in swayed from right to left, violently, as waves hampered and pushed its hull.

Johnny was on the deck, helping the crewmen of the ship on securing the cargos that might fell to the dark ocean. He grunted as he tightened the chains around the cargo. "All set here!" he shouted to a crewman beside him and turned around.

His eyes caught something that made him stop on his tracks. "Oh shit…" he exclaimed as a tall, wall of water emerged from the darkness. And before Johnny could react he was swept by the gigantic wave that hit the deck, where he was standing on.

* * *

_Of course…it wouldn't be that easy._ Johnny cursed under his breath and watched as the ship he was in began to turn and capsized. His hands tackled the cold pacific water as he tried to stay afloat on the surface. He caught a sight of a floating wooden crate and swam towards it.

He wheezed for air as he grabbed on the floating crate and rested his head on his forearm. "Damn it." He cursed again as he felt several sharp twinge on his chest, back, and ribs. He felt something warm and flowing on his left temple and knew that it was blood, he must've hit his head on one of the cargos before he fell to the water.

_Give me a break at least let me give some peace!_ He groaned in protest before his eyes began to give away.

Suddenly the sound of the abysmal wind was cut by a loud mechanical noise. Johnny tried to look up but he felt weak. "Augh!" he winced after someone grabbed him by his arms and lifted him up.

_Who are you…?_ The ascent suddenly stop and Johnny found himself inside a helicopter. The mechanical sound was much louder this time. His eyes opened weakly and glanced to his left after he heard a voice.

"Passenger secured."

"Roger that. That was a nice jump Kogami, did you enjoy the water?" it was a woman's voice and a man answered her back.

"Come on, can't you see that he needs help?" his voice was sharp. Johnny tried to move his head more but the man's face loomed over him.

"Don't move. You're hurt, badly." The man whose name is Kogami, had black wet hair and sharp eyes. His voice was deep and menacing to him. "Now then. Who are you?" the man asked him but Johnny felt very weak. He slowly closed his eyes and breathed calmly. At least he was safe…for now.

* * *

_Soft._ Jonathon felt his back was pressed against something soft. _Cold and quiet,_ his senses slowly came back. The coldness crept into his skin and his ears heard the low humming of an air condition accompanied by a relaxing piano music.

He opened his blue eyes and saw the white ceiling above him. "Where…am I?" he glanced to his right and saw an advance looking BP monitor, standing beside his bed. His nose caught a strong disinfectant smell. He was inside a hospital.

_Right I was rescued last night._ his thoughts were cut when the door opened and a nurse entered. She stopped when she saw the man.

"Oh you're awake." She said in Japanese language. _Oh no…_ "I-uh-can't understand, Japanese." He said in a calm manner and shook his head. The nurse stared and smiled, understanding what he meant. She bowed at him and exit the room.

"Did she understand me?" _I hope so._ Johnny had been to Japan before, but not the Japan of this world and that memory was from a long time ago. He had already forgotten how to speak the language.

The door opened again, interrupting his thoughts. The same nurse entered again and this time she was accompanied by two person. A man and a woman.

_That man._ Johnathon recognize the man standing beside the woman. He was wearing a black jacket with bold letters MOFA written on the sleeve, his pants were black and his hair was jet black. His grey eyes turned observant the second he saw Johnathon.

_Scary._ Johnathon thought warily as the woman with shoulder-length, blonde hair, approached him with a smile. "Good morning." She said in a fluent English and it made Johnathon breathed serenely.

_At least she speak my language._ "Hello."

"You have a rough evening, yesterday." The woman sat down and then introduced herself. "My name is Frederica Hanashiro, Assistant officer of Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Suppressing Action Department." She then glanced at the man. "And he is Shinya Kogami, one of my agents."

_Foreign Affairs…oh no._ Johnathon had planned to migrate, illegally, to Japan. He was supposed to avoid the authorities, like the enforcer in-front of him, and hide within the city if the ship had docked successfully but since it didn't he was now in another pinch.

He glanced at the Kogami, the man was looking at something on his left wrist. A small device with a hologram screen. _That's a video…this is interrogation._ "You're going to arrest me for entering your country, illegally, am I right?" he asked and the woman's eyes widened for a second before she spoke.

"I'm glad you're catching up. Yes, but it depends." She crossed her leg and then asked him. "What's your name?"

Johnathon rummage his mind while he shifted his eyes back to Frederica. "Johnathon Blaze. Most people call me 'Johnny'."

The woman hum as her eyes lightened a bit. "Well Johnny. How many were you on the ship?" she asked Johnny and the man explained. Other than him there were at least a hundred and sixty, illegal immigrants inside the ship. All of them were escaping the Civil war in America. Johnny weaved the story to the woman, some are lies and some are truth, while he remain vigilant to Kogami.

The man hadn't uttered a single word yet to him. He was still looking at the small holo-screen on his wrist.

"And that's were I end." Johnny finished his story and Frederica only made a single nod.

"So your previous job was at a circus, performing deadly motorcycle stunts, and then you quit and volunteered for the army." _First half is true, second half is lie_ "Yes," Johnny said with honesty, "for seven years I fought as a volunteer soldier. But I guess I can't prove it now, because all of my stuff was now at the bottom of the ocean."

"You're correct." Frederica said in a friendly manner. "But not all." Johnny finally heard the man again. He glanced at him and grin. "Oh, finally he speaks." Kogami smiled at his remark and took out an object form his pocket.

It was a gold medallion. Johnny's eyes become rigid. "Oh, thank you. This is a memento from my friend." He took the medallion and stared at with sad, reminiscing, smile.

* * *

After an hour of interrogation, Frederica and Kogami bid farewell to him. Apparently Johnny would be transferred into another facility called Sybil Immigration Reformation center tomorrow. A facility dedicated to teach immigrants on how to be a good citizen of Sybil society and there he will live as an 'immigrant-under-probation' for one year.

Johnny stood inside his bathroom and stared at the gold medallion hanging on his chest, its surface glinted at the mirror. "I finally have what I want and I don't care if I have to wait." he said, somberly.

_But I can't seem to get rid of you._ He thought with disappointment. The medallion was given to him by the new King of Hell, the Ghost Rider who banished him from hell.

Johnny then shifted his gaze at his reflection. He was back to normal, he was fully human again. "I'll try to live as a human being until I die." He smile with determination to him self and walked out of his bathroom. It was already night time and he decided to call it a day.

* * *

"You seemed to be very silent today, Kogami." Fredrica observed as she glanced beside her. The man looked outside and watched as tall, futuristic sky scrapers jotted out before him after the car entered an elevated highway.

"I was observing his Psycho-Pass hue." He pressed the device on his left wrist and pressed a button. "He said that he was a stuntman turned soldier right?" he asked as he looked through several holo-screen.

"Yes and what, did you notice something wrong?" Frederica asked again and Kogami answered.

"Being a stuntman and a soldier for seven years should've taken a toll to his mind. Not to mention he was the only survivor of 'The Aurora', the immigrant ship. It should've clouded his psyche more." Kogami then turned to Frederica.

"His Psycho-pass hue was white all along. In fact Sybil had just discovered a new type of color white based on his hue,"

"Oh what hue would that be?"

Kogami looked at the highway in front and his eyes hardened. "Heavenly White."

Silence filled the automatic car as Frederica absorb Kogami's words. "If that is so then I would leave it to the CID," She then made an amuse smirk before adding, "your Akane would definitely catch something up on Johnny."

Kogami frowned and look away while he mumbled. "Me and Akane aren't really like that, you know."


	2. Case 1-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, this is where the Ghost Rider takes flight in the new World. How would the Ghost Rider fair in this world govern by hard logic? Will Sybil and the society accept him or will they try to capture him? Stay Tuned!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own Ghost Rider marvel comic and the anime Psycho-Pass.

**Chapter 1**

**Case 1-1 : The Odaiba Bridge Incident**

* * *

**Hell**

The empty throne of Hell stood at the edge of a ravine that overlooks a large boiling lake. Dust and sands had settled on the surface of the throne, indicating that it hasn't been used for a long time.

"Everything is ready." Away from the throne, kneeling on the red sand was the Ghost Rider. His head hung low and his eyes were directed towards the ground. "He will be awaken…now how will Johnny fair in this world?" he then slowly raised his head and rose from the ground.

"How will the world, governed by hard logic and heartless reasoning, react to the Ghost Rider?" he slowly stride towards the throne and touched the arm rest. "Shall we find out?" he muttered as the blaze around his skull burns, brightly, more.

* * *

**One Year Later - Immigration Reformation Center – Swimming Pool Area.**

"Thirty!" Johnny exclaimed as he burst out of the water and rested his head over the edge of the pool. He puffed his breath and swept his blond hair up away from his face. "It's been one year and today is my release."

A pleasant grin etched from his face. Today was the final day of his probation, he would finally leave this place and live as an official citizen of this country.

He climbed up to the edge and walked towards a table where his towel and device are put. He pressed a button on his device and a message automatically played.

" **Good Morning Immigrant No# 111***, Jonhathon Blaze. The Sybil System would like to congratulate you for completing the Reformation and Naturalization program. As of now, your Psycho-Pass is recorded, stored and monitored by the Ministry of Welfare and Public Safety Bureau."**

_Monitored?_ "Guess I still need to watch out for myself huh?" he reminded himself as the message continue. **"The Ministry of Housing and Development had also prepared a standard tenement home for you. The address is listed below."**

Johnny carefully memorize the address below before he switch the device off. "Now then, I must prepare." He said and cast an excited smile.

* * *

After attending to his final check-up and signing a couple of papers, Johnny stood on a bus stop and waited for a bus. A bus arrived which he immediately rode on, he looked out of the window as the bus move and then his eyes widened in wonder.

_So Japan had become so advance in this world hmm_ he pondered in astonishment as the bus rose to an elevated highway and the breathtaking view of the city greeted him. He observed more in marvel. "Sybil System hmm."

_In this world, Japan's law enforcement was under and managed by a government organization called Sybil System. They worked hand in hand with the national government to handle and manage crimes._ Johnny rested his head on his seat and recall all of the things he learned from the IRC (Immigration and Reformation Center). "And they do it with the massive, high-tech surveillance system of the MWPSB." He reflected and smirked.

"Man, if George Orwell sees this he'll panic and die."

* * *

After an hour Johnny step down from the bus and looked in front of him. An old, decaying and tall, apartment-style building stood before him. His eyes inspected the tenement building with scrutiny.

_Well they did say it was a 'tenement apartment',_ Johnny forced himself to smile but it was a deadpan one. He then turned around and looked across the street where a large black gate stood. A large hologram sign lit up above it and it displays 'HAPPY FAMILY PARK AND ZOO' in bright neon orange lights.

"W-well, at least there's a zoo…haha." He tired to uplift his spirits but he let out a disgruntled sigh.

* * *

**Apartment – 1408**

"Shit." Johnny uttered a single word with a still poker face after he found his designated apartment unit. After he opened the door of his unit he immediately saw the kitchen area on his left, there was a door standing on his right and when he opened it he saw that it was the bathroom. Further into his room his eyes landed on a small table, and then further from that, standing by the wall, was a sliding door.

He opened it and saw a neatly folded futon which will be his bed and drawers where he could put his clothes. "This room…is so small!" he exclaimed in disenchantment. He sat down and rested his left hand on the table and press the device on his wrist again.

" **Welcome to your lovely home. I am Taro Komissa-chan!"** a cartoonish-looking mascot pop out and smiled cheerfully at Johnathon's frowning, discontented face. _Lovely home my ass!_ He mentally cursed and the hologram continued. **"I am now synching to your home's system. Synching complete!"**

_Komissa-chan, the official mascots of Sybil System. They're_ _composed of two mascots, Taro and Hanako-chan_. "Taro is the male and Hanako is female hmm." Johnny observed the small holo-mascot as it looked around his apartment. **"I've detected that you don't have food. May I suggest for you to buy some?** " he glanced at small refrigerator and then swiped at his holo-screen.

"I was given an ample amount of money, why not." He said and stood up but Taro spoke again. **"Oh no, it seems you don't have much clothes may I suggest for you to buy -"**

"No thank you!" _Does the system know that I have a small and limited budget!?_ He exclaimed and thought, irritably but he looked around his room again. "So this is where I will live in exile hmm." The thought of living in peace glided in his mind and it made him smile in satisfaction.

"I guess I'll manage here."

" **Oh it looks like a nearby supermarket has promo for Immigrant-** "

"Ok, ok, I'm leaving!" he exclaimed at Taro before he strode out of his unit.

* * *

**Supermarket**

"I guess this should be alright." Johnny glanced down to his basket. _I don't really need much today_ he pushed his cart and examined several items on the shelves.

"Seafoods are expensive, meat is cheap but it was synthetic and vegetables are still yucky. Maybe I should ask Taro for tips." He was about to pressed the device on his wrist again when he stopped on his tracks. He was standing on the hardware section and his eyes caught something.

It was a meter long chains. _No, I don't need it._ He eyed the chain with contemplation. "Ghost Rider is gone. He's never coming back." He murmured, solemnly, under his breath and proceeded to check out.

* * *

**Apartment - 1408**

It was already nighttime when Johnny opened the door of his unit. The man quickly closed the door behind him and put his groceries on his table. He blow hard and slumped down by the wall and pressed his device again.

_Why did I even bought that chain…?_ He grumbled as he stared hard on the grocery bags where the chains are. "Taro, please open the T.V…if there's T.V." he asked with skepticism and a medium size hologram appeared.

A news report filled his room and the man watched as a scene unfolds on his screen. "We're now reporting live of a highway robbery car chase in Highway no.###-"

_Eh?_ Johnny blinked, startled to see two armored trucks running hastily along an elevated highway, chasing behind them were a line of police droids and a single police car.

"I thought there's no crime here in Japan?" his eyes hardened, stunned to the news. "Well…I guess there's no such thing as perfect place." Disappointed, he clicked his tongue and looked away.

* * *

"Ugh!" then his chest spasm. Johnny slumped to the floor, eyes widening in shock. "What jus-AH!" a burst of burning pain crawled all over his body and the man convulsed as he struggled to stand up. Johnny raced to the bathroom and looked at the mirror above the sink. Trails of smoke came out of his nose, his mouth and his ears while the gold medallion on his chest glowed in bright orange ember, showing a symbol that the man had never seen before.

_No…it can't be!_ "I-Ghost Rider should be-

" **Oh Johnny. I was never gone."** A dark voice escaped his lips as the man let out a loud scream. Flames burst out of his eyes and his skin began to melt away. The fire ate his white shirt and was replaced by black leather jacket with three spikes on both shoulders.

" **Warning! Warning! Your Psycho-Pass has suddenly-",** Johnny now overwhelmed by the Ghost Rider, pressed the button on his device. The Holo-mascot sizzled and changed into something sinister, instead of a happy face it has become a small menacing skull, the word 'SHIT' was written on its forehead. **"-become fucking cool!"** it also roared in deep, demonic voice.

" **Damn right,"** he laughed in a devilish tone and strode out of the bathroom and let out another scream. **"All those years of silence, I'm finally free!"** his glowing fiery eyes leered at the holo-T.V. It still shows the high-speed robbery car chase.

_**Hmm…**_ **"Naughty, naughty."** He grasped the words brutally before he opened the door of his unit. He stood outside and loomed over the view in front of him. **"No bike. Must improvised."** A low heavy chuckle escape from within him as he stared down at the zoo, across from his apartment.

* * *

**45 minutes ago** – **MWPSB - Office of Division 1**

Inspector Arata yawned loudly and looked at the CommuDevice on his left wrist. "Arata, do you really need to yawn like that?" the fluffy brown haired inspector answered to his friend with a groggy voice.

"Sorry, Kie. I just woke up form a long nap."

"Get a hold of yourself. Today is your last day as a night duty inspector. Next week we will have a proper schedule." Kei reminded him with a stern face and the Inspector responded with smirk.

"I know which is why I'll try my best tonight." He smiled, goofily, and it only earned him a loud irritated grunt from Kei.

"Just be careful ok. And don't do any mental trace." He warned with hard voice but Arata only flashed a grin on him. "Sure thing, Kei. I promise you that." He pressed the device, ending the conversation with his friend, and walked out of the elevator.

* * *

Inside the office, there are other two people. Enforcer Kazumichi Irie glanced his dark brown eyes at the door after Arata entered and he immediately called out with excitement. "Hey, Inspector Sleepy Head had just arrived!"

The other enforcer, a man in his late fifties and sports greying hair and eyes, smirk as the Inspector greeted them. "Oh, Irie, that was just one time when I accidentally slept on my first night duty. And Tenma said its ok to sleep."

Enforcer Tenma Todoroki smirked more. "I said its ok take a nap, not sleep." Arata grumbled as the enforcers ganged up on him.

"You two-" he was about to put down his bag on his chair when a loud blaring alarm filled the room, cutting the cheerful air. "What now." The computer on his desk lit up and showed a warning. "Area Stress Level alert: Minato ward." Arata read as his CommuDevice rang and he answered it immediately.

"Oh, Arata. I'm surprise to see you awake at this hour." _How many times did I sleep during my night duty!?_ Arata wondered and immediately shrugged it off. "Shion-san what happened?"

"Ten minutes ago our camera's detected a crime in Minato ward. It was a bank robbery, a group of six highly armed men rushed inside the bank during its closing hours and stole two cases of hard drives. And they killed five people already. Inside those hard drives are millions of cryptocurrency accounts."

"Got it. Shion-san continue monitoring them please." Arata said as he took his blue MWPSB jacket from his chair.

"Woo-hoo, talk about an exciting duty." Irie whistled as the brown haired detective fling his bomber jacket on his shoulder. "Oh things just get serious." Todoroki reminded him with serious face as he put his Dominator on his back holster.

"Everyone, let's go. Time to catch some bad guys." Arata exclaimed and readied his Dominator gun.

* * *

**Elevated Highway no. ####**

"Shion-san any reports from the drone above?" Arata asked the Analyst. He was sitting at the back of the patrol car as the three of them sped along the deserted highway.

"Just a minute. They're riding in two black trucks. They'd just hit the first barrier with ease and they're still running with great speed." _They must've prepared for this._ "Can you predict their route?" the inspector looked in front.

"Just give me a second."

"Thanks—whoa!" the car suddenly jolt to the left which shook the inspector. "What the-Irie please be careful on driving—"

"O-Oi…what the fuck is that!?" Irie pointed in front of them and Todoroki followed his shocked eyes. "Wha-what the-!" his eyes widened in surprise. Arata moved forward and squeezed between the two and he too saw the horrifying sight. "What…on earth!"

In front of them, leaving behind a trail of fire, was a horse. It was galloping wildly and its legs scrape the pavement, loudly. Its head was a burning skull, its skin are charred grey white and it was reined in by a burning chain. As for its rider, which what made the whole scene more terrifying, was a man wearing a leather jacket and black pants and combat boots. And just like his horse, his head was a burning human skull.

" **Yee-ha!"** it howled demonically, snapping the petrified Arata.

"Uh-Shion-san is our drone seeing this?!"

"What the hell is that!?" Shion shrieked from the other end of the line as she too saw the burning rider.

"Uhm-" the inspector couldn't' answer her question. The rider zoomed further away from them. "Shion-san, the predicted route?" he called the analyst again.

"I-It looks like they are going cross Odaiba Bridge-I already deploy several barrier drones on the other end." _They're going to escape via pier_ Arata concluded and then quickly ordered. "Irie follow the burning rider!"

"Are you kidding me, that thing could be an alie-"

"Just drive Kazumichi!" Todoroki barked and the enforcer pressed the pedal to the floor, accelerating the car more.

* * *

The Ghost Rider thundered down the highway, his horse pushed fast at a staggering amble speed. In front of them are the two black armored trucks. He watched as the vehicles swerved up into an elevated turnpike.

The road leads to a wide arc bridge. **"Odaiba Bridge…heh."** He madly scoffed and hit the rein of his horse. **"Let's go Vendetta!"** he barked in a deranged way and the horse immediately zoomed in.

He eventually overtaken the two trucks as they entered the bridge. The Ghost Rider glanced back, gaining his distance a bit, before he grabbed the black chains that was wrapped over his chest. His right hand began to spun wildly, stirring his chains in mid-air before throwing it, the end wrapped around the railings of the bridge. He then grabbed the other end and shoot it towards the other side of the bridge, he had just created a chain wire trap and the two trucks couldn't avoid it.

He pulled the rein, stopping his horse, and watched the carnage in front of him as the first ruck hit his chains and flipped forward and crashed on the pavement of the bridge. The second truck attempted to swerve but because of its large size and hasty speed it toppled down to the right and smash at the first truck.

* * *

" **Improvise, adapt and overcome!"** The Ghost Rider let out a frenzied laughter. The doors of the truck opened and the six robbers crawled out, their rifles hung loosely from their shoulders. Most of them limp or swayed, they were all in a daze from the injuries they earned from the pile-up.

"What the—boss, what's that?!" one of the robbers shouted and pointed his gun. The boss, a white man, shrieked at the sight of the Ghost Rider. "Ki-Kill him!" a rain of bullets hit the Ghost Rider but he only stood on his ground, unfazed, with both of his hands behind him. **"How do I say thanks for the food in Japanese?"**

Chains snake from both of his wrist while he pondered. **"Oh Yes…Ittedakimassu!"** he clasped both of hands in front of him and then opened his arms wide. His chains flew towards the armed men.

"No!" the man on the right of the Ghost rider, yelped as one of the chain wrapped around his neck. The Ghost Rider yanked the man towards him and lifted him by his neck. **"I'll eat your soul!"** The man screamed for his life but it was immediately cut as his arms dangled to his sides and his eyes rolled back. The Ghost Rider threw the lifeless body away and lashed his left chain at the group.

The chain hit two men, both exploded into fiery dust. The leader darted to his left, eyes wide from horror. "Oi, call the client!" he barked at the man on his right. The man took out his phone but before he could call, his head burst after the chain speared his skull. Blood sprayed everywhere.

"Shit!" the boss said and looked to his underling on his left. "Throw a grenad-" but the boss stopped in mid-sentence as the Ghost Rider's chain cut through his underling's neck. His head falls and blood fountained out of his open neck.

"Damn it-" The leader took out his phone but he squeal as the Ghost Rider dashed forward and pushed him on the overturned vehicle. **"You shouldn't use phone while you're having your dinner,"** The Ghost Rider said in a derange demonic voice.

"P-Please! I don't want to die—ack!" The Ghost rider tightened his grip around his neck and snarled. **"Then you shouldn't have killed those five people and robbed a bank."** He moved his face closer to him and then said. **"Now look into my eyes. Feel the same pain that you've inflicted on the innocents!"**

The man scream in terror, his wail of despair echoed through the bridge. Memories of his sin flashed before him and his eyes turned charcoal black. The man's voice died down and his arms hang loosely from his side. The Ghost Rider let go of the carcass of the man and stared down.

" **Thanks for the meal."** He rasped, crazily, in a mocking way. The Ghost Rider opened his arms and breathed the cold air around him. **"I feel alive!"** flames shoot out from his mouth and onto the night sky, embers danced along the air as the Ghost Rider felt his powers, crawl over his body.

* * *

"Freeze, don't move!" a resounding little voice of a man made him slowly turn his head to his right. He saw three men standing by a police car. _**Police…**_ He bear his ember eyes at the man on the center, the source of the voice.

_I can't believe it. It's a talking skeleton!_ Arata blinked his flabbergasted golden eyes several times, checking if he was still dreaming. He was now standing a couple of feet away from the mysterious burning rider.

"O-Oi, Arata, call some back-up!" Todoroki called, fearfully. His Dominator gun shook in tense. Fear was written all over his face.

"Yes, I already-"

" **Look into my eyes, Arata."** The inspector didn't know how it happened, Arata let out a sharp yap as he was lifted from the ground. Hard bony fingers enclosed tightly on his neck. He gasped as he stared right into the hollow eye socket and to a pair of small orange-red ember inside, which serve as the eyes of the Ghost Rider.

"Hey, let him go!" Irie reacted first and dashed to the Ghost rider, his fist ready for a punch but the burning man opened his free hand and shoot out a fireball. The enforcer was thrown to the pavement, unconscious.

"Son of a-!" Todoroki cursed and tried to attack but the rider whisked his chain out and hit the old man by his chest. He was pushed to the pavement, his back made a sickening crack upon contact.

"No-!" Arata while struggling to breath, pointed his dominator right on the rider's chest. The gun scanned him. **'Warning unknown biological being detected. Not subject for enforcement. Trigger is locking'.** _What-? How can that be?!_ The scan sprang terror into his heart. "How-what are you-"

" **Cool gun. I want it."** The Ghost Rider yank the dominator from Arata's hand before he threw the inspector to the hood of the car. The glass crack as his back hit it and he let out a painful groan. The Ghost Rider then pointed the gun to the sky. **"Be mine."** He muttered as his hellfire crawled along the surface of the dominator. Arata watched with half-open eyes as his gun slowly transform.

The blue-green lights turned into blood red, the color of the sleek barrel change into a something much darker than black after three sharp spikes pops out from the surface.

' **Registering new user.'** The soft, gentle, woman voice of sybil, which is standard to every Dominator gun, was replaced by a man with hard, malevolent, tone. **' Your gun's cool, Ghost Rider, now start shootin'!'** The Ghost Rider laughed evilly.

He pointed his new gun at the fallen truck. **'Enforcement mode: Destroy Decomposer. Let's destroy some stuff, bruh!'** the muzzle opened up and fired a single red beam. The red beam hit the truck, blowing it into smithereens. Fire rage on the pavement.

" **Nice!"** The Ghost Rider remarked cheerfully. And then he pointed it at Arata. The half-conscious inspector tried to move but the pain from his injured back had prevented him. The Ghost rider suddenly moved and lowered his head, inches way from him, while he stick the Dominator gun at the inspector's forehead.

" **Word of warning. Don't. Follow. Me."** He emphasized each of the words with dangerous intent before he straightened himself up and walk away.

" **Come, Vendetta!"** He whistled, loudly, and his horse emerged from behind the bridge's arch. The Ghost Rider took a short belittling glanced at Arata and then climbed up to his horse. He slammed the rein hard and the stallion dashed and jumped off the bridge.

" **I will rock this world!"** his laughter blared throughout the night and it was the last thing that Arata had heard before he closed his eyes and sleep.

* * *

**MWPSB – Bureau Chief's Office**

In the dimly lit office, sitting and reclining comfortably on her chair was the Bureau Chief of MWPSB, Harumi Hosorogi. The small old woman in her sixty's was staring balnkly to the blank black wall in front of her. Her grey eyes were unmoving and her breath was calm.

"I see." She suddenly broke the unnerving silence of her office. "We've detected an anomaly." She then shifted her reclining chair and faced the person, who was sitting on one of the office chairs. The person—a man- was staring at her, quietly, with unmoved eyes.

"What would be that anomaly, Chief Hosorogi?" the man's jet black eyes looked down in thought.

Hosorogi tilted her head and made a soft smile at him. "The Ghost Rider."


	3. Case 1-2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aftermath of the Ghost Rider's debut, Johnny woke up and a revelation unfold in front of him. The Feds are now onto him. And The new Chief Inspector seemed to deem him dangerous!  
> And...are there really no devils or demons in this world?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own Psycho-Pass anime and the Marvel Comic Ghost Rider!  
> Special Thanks to Pure red crane for beta-reading.

**Chapter 2**

**Case 1-2: The Odaiba Bridge Incident**

* * *

**Apartment 1408**

_Hot…this feeling,_ Johnny slowly opened his eyes and woke up soaked in his own sweat. He was sprawled all over the floor near his front door. "Its…so hot." He called weakly, and moved his right hand to his face to wipe off some of his sweat.

"Thirsty," he stood up from the floor and walked to his table, his groceries from yesterday were still unpacked and untouched. Then he stopped dead on his tracks. "What the…?!" His half open eyes adjusted to new object lying beside his grocery bags—a black-colored gun.

_That's a-! Oh no…_ Johnny's eyes widened in fright as he recognized the gun. "A Dominator Gun. But only the police can have this-!"Suddenly, the memory of the events last night flashed before his eyes. His mouth hung slightly in dread. "Shit! Taro can you check my Psycho-Pass?"

Taro popped out from his left wrist together with a small holo-screen. "Your Psycho-Pass for today is: 13, your Hue index is: Heavenly White. Good job for-" Johnny breathed out in relief. At least his Psycho-Pass didn't increase due to his sudden tranformation.

"However, I couldn't get your Psycho-Pass last night. Yesterday's data had been corrupted due to an unknown glitch. Please report-"

"Yes, I will, later. Can you turn on the T.V. please?" He knew how it was corrupted. He glanced at the holo T.V., and a news channel blared in front of him. "We're now at the scene of the crime on Odaiba Bridge. Last night, six highly armed men had robbed a bank. The police force had chased them but they were too late. A man in a black leather jacket had already killed the six men-"

"Oh no." Johnny gulped down uneasily as the voice of the reporter was drowned by his loud heartbeat. A heavy dread swirled and began to weight, uncomfortably, inside him.

"We don't know who the Vigilante is," Johnny's thoughts were cut after a man came into view beside the reporter. The man was smart-looking and looked Russian, his hair black and parted to his right. His serious blue eyes looked right into the camera and straight into Johnny's soul. "But one thing's for sure, he assaulted one inspector and two enforcers. Now that…is a crime."

"No shit, Inspector Ivan."

Johnny sighed, frustrated to what had transpired last night. He stood up and checked the Dominator gun.

"I guess I have to return you, huh," he said and touched the handle of the gun.

"Warning, unauthorized user detected! This Dominator will activate its locator-!" Johnny let go of the gun, dived his hand into one of his grocery bags, fishing out and opening a bag of potato chips. Then he took the gun again and shoved it inside. "Ha-! Aluminum foil blocks signals!" Johnny exclaimed and dropped the junk food bag on the table, spilling some on the surface. "My potato chips..." He lamented at his wasted snack, but he only let out a disgruntled sigh over it.

He reached for his right back pocket to get his handkerchief, but his hand brushed another object inside. _Hmm, a phone?_ Johnny took out and scanned the phone with a startled look. The screen was dirty and cracked, and it was wrapped in a plain black protective case. "What's this-?!"

The phone screen suddenly turned on and a symbol — a demonic seal — flashed before Johnny's eyes. The seal was like a complicated Tetris block with a small cross on top and enclosed by a circle. Within the circle was the word 'HALPHAS'.

"Halphas…one of the Counts of hell. Those guys are working under him…What is he doing here in this world?" He frowned in displeasure, but then another dreadful thought formed in him. _What if he wasn't the only Devil here in this world?_

The Counts of Hell, as long as Johnny could remember, were composed of five powerful demons. Furfur, Bifrons, Raum, Andromalius and Halphas, each of them were endowed with powerful legions. And all of them were loyal to Mephisto, the devil who tricked Johnny into signing a deal with him, the one who turned him into a Ghost Rider.

Johnny stared daggers at the phone as an old and familiar rage rose up inside him. He thought he was free from his dark fate. He thought he would live in a peaceful exile. But reality was cruel and it always disappointed him.

A sharp ring cut through Johnny's deep thoughts. The man glanced at the screen. 'HALPHAS' flashed and it made his skin turn red in fury.

"…" He answered the phone and stood in silence.

"So…did you have fun with my men last night, Ghost Rider?" The man's eyes flared at the deep, bellowing voice of the demon.

"Halphas, didn't you run away from hell together with your frat buddies after I defeated Mephisto?" The demon on the other end laughed beastly. Clearly, he was mocking the Ghost Rider.

"This is our world now. You're not welcome here."

"And so…are you." Johnny berated in enmity. He heard the Demon click his tongue in annoyance.

"Then we'll do a battle. I'll text you where I live." The line went dead and Johnny put the phone down on the table. He then walked inside the bathroom and stared at the mirror.

His eyes were still heavy and filled with fury, trails of smoke whisking out of his ears and nose. He was about to transform into Ghost Rider again when his device on his wrist rang out. "Warning! Your Psycho-Pass has increased rapidly, tolerate - level reached."

Johnny clicked his tongue in ire. He couldn't do it without the Sybil System watching him. He gnashed his teeth, hard enough for it to crack, but then he let out a long sigh which relaxed him.

"I'll kill him. I'll kill them all." He declared in steel tone. "And after that, I'll live in peace." His grip around the sink tightened as he closed his eyes. A new, but familiar, feeling of hope had clouded his anger and Johnny had immediately held on tightly to it.

* * *

**New Sybil Medical Center – Tokyo**

"I'm sure of it…that thing could still be human." Arata said to his friend, Kie. The inspector was resting on a hospital bed. Kie Ignatov watched him with intentness.

"Humans don't shed their own skin completely and are still be able to walk, not to mention, except maybe, lift a heavy inspector like you, Arata." Kei countered, his humorless tone made Arata chuckle in embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Kei, but you looked dashing on the T.V. earlier this morning."

"Don't change the subject here!" Kei barked, irked at the inspector's aloofness.

"You have to remember, Kei, that this thing also attacked two enforcers." A cold, calculating voice cut the two. Standing by the window was the MWPSB Chief Inspector, Mika Shimotsuki. The Chief inspector shifted her discerning eyes at Arata.

"And I know what I saw. He shot a fireball with his left hand, took down Irei with it, and then a long chain appeared and he whipped Todoroki with it." Arata's voice became serious and it made Shimotsuki's right brow twitch in rate.

"You do know that magic doesn't exist in this era. It could be a hologram. That explanation can also include his skull that is 'on fire'." She air quoted the last two words, and scoffed in disbelief. "In any case, Shion and Hinakawa are still inspecting your body cam. And speaking of inspecting…" She then cast a frown.

"Why didn't you call for back-up and, not only that, you let that Burning Bone Head steal your Dominator!?" Arata sheepishly smiled at the fuming Chief Inspector. "I'm sorry. I did call for back-up and he also strangled me-" His eyes suddenly widened in surprise as an idea clicked in his mind.

"Kei, can I perform mental tracing now?"

"No!" the two people objected in unison.

"Wow, I didn't expect the two of you to object. But I need to know more about him."

"You don't need to know this man. What if he's deranged?"

"He is crazy but I could still feel a bit of humanity in him." Arata cast a trusting smile. "Don't worry, Kei. I will let you pull me anytime." Kei hesitated at first, glancing at the Chief Inspector, who only nodded.

"Ok…but come out quickly." Kei said as Arata put his right hand on his neck.

* * *

_It was raining hard today…_ His vision blurred into inky gray color. He found himself back on the bridge. His back was on the car and the Ghost Rider was on top of him, his right hand held his neck. "There he is…Dominators don't work on him…" He observed as the Ghost Rider's hand tightened more.

"Fire…Fire…I'm on fire-" He felt his skin began to degrade, painfully, then he heard the Ghost Rider spoke.

**"DON'T MENTAL TRACE ME BITCH!** "

* * *

"Arata!" Arata snapped back to reality as Kei pulled him by the collar of his hospital clothes. The inspector took a mouthful of breath and faced his friend with a questioning look. "What happened?"

"Your voice changed…That's never happened before. Are you ok?" Kei asked him with a worried look.

"My voice changed…Is it deep and menacing?"

"Yes, as if the devil possessed you." Chief Shimotsuki said, unfazed at what had happened, before she added. "Dominators don't work on him, huh?"

The inspector nodded to her and then he added. "And he knows that I am mental tracing him."

* * *

**MWPSB**

_It could detect Arata's mental tracing? How was that even possible?_ Kei stood beside the Chief Inspector inside an elevator. The two were back in the building after the Bureau Chief called the Chief Inspector for an emergency meeting.

"I think I know what would be today's topic." Shimotsuki sighed deeply and the inspector with her asked. "The Bureau Chief must've heard of the masked Vigilante."

"Yeah and he better. He's got a city to protect and to serve. He will not let some random burning bone head Vigilante ruin his cause." _Burning Bone Head?_ Kei shifted his quizzical eyes at her. "What's confusing though is why he invited the MOFAs too."

"What? They're here too?" That meant that man from the Bifrost Incident case was also here. Memory of the one year old case played in his mind. "What a bother." He murmured in a dejected manner as they reached the floor.

* * *

**MWPSB – Conference Room No.1**

In the dimly lit conference room, seven people were sitting around a long table. The air around them was heavy and tensed as some of the group were either jittered or agitated to the video that they were watching. The large screen in front of them played the surveillance video of the crime last night.

They couldn't believe what they were watching right now.

**"Word of warning. Don't. Follow. Me."** Kei shivered slightly as the Ghost Rider neared Arata and his body cam. The footage ended and left everyone in a dead silence.

"That ends Arata's body cam footage." Chief Inspector Shimotsuki said. She was seated across from Frederica, the woman still staring at the image on the screen.

"The camera on the bridge matches with Arata's. Is he alright after this incident?"

"He is. His Psycho-Pass is still in on a good level."

"But not for long, I guess." Kei shifted and glared across to Kogami, whose eyes were still locked on the screen, contemplating the skull man.

"Need not to worry. I'll be fine." Arata said, via camera from his laptop, with an uplifting tone. He beamed his reassuring smile through his screen beside Kei and it made Kogami grin.

"In any case. The man that this Vigilante had killed was a suspect that we MOFA's are trailing for a while. Ginoza, if you please." Frederica called the man sitting further form her, beside Kogami.

Ginoza Nobuchika stood up from his chair, his ponytailed black hair swaying as he looked at everyone with his grey eyes. "His name is Rick Chondor, age 30 and his nationality is Irish. He migrated to Japan five years ago. His hue color was yellow before it changed into dark red as his mental health deteriorated. He was suffering from depression and the Sybil System immediately recommended him to take prescribed drugs and therapy sessions." He paused as the screen changed and showed the Robbery group leader's picture.

"But that was one year ago. He disappeared for six months before one of our surveillance cameras detected him. After that, we tailed him and tapped his communication device. We discovered that he was working under a person named Halphas." Another picture appeared. This time, it was a picture of a large, stern old man with a greying beard and yellow eyes.

"Halphas, Chinese-American, age 60 and an immigrant. He migrated here 17 years ago. And he lives in the Shinjuku Abandoned Zone. He was a mercenary with affiliations to Euro-Irish Liberation Front." Ginoza finished as Frederica added to everyone.

"We know he lives in the Shinjuku Abandoned Zone and we're monitoring him as we speak." _'And yet, he could send a man to rob a bank, freely.'_ Shimotsuki thought as she crossed her arms.

"Why you didn't capture him yet?" Kei asked in an irate manner, the man was a terrorist and yet he lived under Sybil System's eyes with pure freedom.

"Because he has a strong backer. Somehow, someone within the government, is protecting him." Frederica answered with a plain tone before she added. "MOFA's would've had enough evidence to put Halphas in jail if only we got to Rick much earlier. All of the evidence was in his phone." She then turned to Arata and made an apologetic smile.

"We already know that Rick will escape via pier, so we set up an entrapment there, but…"

"The Burning Bone Head got him first." Arata said with realization. Frederica chuckled in delight.

"You guys really have a strong imagination when it comes to naming things, hmm?" Shimotsuki's face reddened. Ginoza noticed it, so he turned his head away to hide his smirk.

* * *

"Ghost Rider." A voice coming from the seventh man cut the cheerful mood of the room. Everyone turned to the Bureau Chief, Shizuka Homura, who was sitting in the middle, with a peaceful face. He put both of his hands below his chin and calmly repeated. "Ghost Rider…that will be the Vigilante's official name."

Kei asked him. "Ghost Rider? Why that chief?" The Bureau Chief smiled as the video on the screen played again. This time everyone was shocked and startled as the Ghost Rider jumped on his burning horse. The horse galloped off the bridge…and dashed through the surface of the river.

"This video came from a surveillance drone that give chase to the rider. As you can see, he was holding a Dominator." Everyone in the room looked at him and then to the Chief Inspector. "He stole Arata's gun." The Chief Inspector confirmed and gulped down in tense.

"Wait a second. His horse ran on water. What kind of Vigilante is this?" Frederica was aghast to what she had just watched.

"And he used the Dominator gun when he blew up that truck. How did he use it?" Kogami questioned Arata, but the man only shrugged.

"It changed when he touched my Dominator. It no longer recognized me as its user." Kogami was puzzled. Did Ghost Rider hack it? Dominators were not easy to be hacked for it had a strong connection to the Sybil System. A hacker would have had to hack the whole system before he could manipulate one Dominator. It would take a long time.

"For now, I've come to a conclusion. We can't let Halphas roam freely while under Sybil's eyes. His actions must be judged and enforced by MOFA. The same can be said for 'the Ghost Rider'. We don't know him and we don't know his intentions. The Public Safety Bureau will be the one to handle him."

Chief Inspector Shimotsuki darted her appalled eyes at the Bureau Chief. _'Eh…Eh?!'_ She was flabbergasted by his decision and she wanted to shout out a strong objection. But instead, she swallowed hard and clicked her tongue mentally in dismay.

* * *

**MWPSB – Chief Inspector Office**

"We should've raised an objection, Chief." Kei said with a bitter tone at the Chief Inspector. Chief Shimotsuki only snorted hotly and swallowed a lot of mints from her mint dispenser. Then she slammed her hands at her table and argued.

"I would love to, but those are the Bureau Chief's orders. Besides he was somehow correct." She stood up again from her chair and moved to her window. "A Vigilante of unknown being, and our Dominators don't work with him. This is truly a problem to Sybil…and a threat to this country."

She then turned to him and then sharply ordered. "Earlier this morning a place called 'Happy Family Park and Zoo had reported a disturbance within their premises. Their den of horses 'were ransacked'. They said none of their horses were stolen, but…"

_'Zoo? Den of Horses?'_ Kei arranged the pieces and then he realized what the chief was saying. "That's where the Ghost Rider had acquired his horse."

"Correct." The Chief Inspector grinned and sat on her chair again. "Go with Arata. He is being discharge as we speak."

* * *

**Happy Family Park and Zoo**

"You don't need to push yourself too much, Arata." Kei reminded as the two inspectors walked passed the droid barricade surrounding the broken black gate. "But I want to investigate the Ghost Rider. Plus, Chief Shimotsuki said that she will have to devote all of the manpower into capturing this Vigilante. Right, Sho?" The inspector beamed at the enforcer behind him.

Sho Hinakawa fixed his messy red hair for a bit and only nodded weakly. "Yes, but there's no need to push yourself hard today." He shifted his grey eyes at the tree shrubs on his right.

"Hinakawa is right. You're not fully healed yet." The woman enforcer on left of Sho said in a cold voice. Arata only cast a relaxed grin at her.

"Thanks for the reminder. Mao-san!" Mao Kisaragi only let out a low sigh. She knew the inspector will ignore their warnings soon.

* * *

"Hey, Sho. I don't mean to ask, but…are you an expert in horses?"

"Um, no."

"Sorry I asked." Arata and Sho stood in front of a pale white horse. The four of them had reached the horse den area. Kei and Mao were talking to the caretaker in one corner. As for the other two, Sho and Arata, they were still inspecting the horses.

There were six horses in the den, and all of them didn't fit the description. Arata observed the six horses resting under the shade of the tree. His thoughts were cut after a horse licked his left cheek. "Wow, thanks. You're not a flaming skull horse, right?" Arata caressed the mane of the horse, making it lick him more.

On Kei's side, the inspector was still interviewing the caretaker, an old man in his sixties. "Do you have a horse named Vendetta?"

"Vendetta?" The old man grumbled and shrugged. "No, but we have Victoria." He then pointed at the horse that Arata was playing with. It didn't look like the one from the video.

"Inspector, I don't think that's the horse." Mao whispered in a matter of fact tome and he silently agreed.

They said their thanks to the caretaker and the two went to Arata and Sho. "Oi, Arata don't play with the horses. They might have germs or something." Kei reminded, but Arata only leaned closer and sniffed at the horses neck, startling everyone.

"Arata…?"

"Kei, this is the horse that the Ghost Rider used." Kei and the two enforcers blinked and peered over him, at the sickly pale horse, then back to Arata. The inspector raised his right hand. "Smell it. It's sulfur and brimstone. It's the same smell as the Ghost Rider."

Kei leaned over and sniffed at Arata's right hand. Sulfur and brimstone filled his nostrils. "You're right." Kei faced the horse with a puzzled look. "Could it be he used a hologram to make it look like it was on fire?"

"Actually, no," Sho said and pressed his device on his wrist, "I've analyzed the whole video three times in a row. I didn't detect any hologram programs on it…as if it's a real deal."

"Wait a second. Flaming horses and riders don't just appear randomly. That only happens in Manga and Anime." _Manga and Anime?_ Arata rose his right brow at Mao, but then Kei butted in.

"And yet it happened. It even assaulted Arata and the two enforcers."

The group only stood in silence as a cold wind blew through them. The sound that it created was eerie and foreboding. But a sharp sound cut through it and Arata glanced at his CommuDevice.

"Ah, its Shion." Arata answered and the Analyst Shion came into view.

"Hey there, Arata, I've got a good news and bad news for you." He grazed at the horses after one of it neighed loudly.

"Please tell both."

Shion took a mouthful of smoke from her cigar and blew it on the air. "Apparently, Ghost Rider returned your Dominator. Its already in the analysis lab." Arata and Kei looked at each other, startled by the news.

"What's the bad news?" Kei then asked. Shion sighed dejectedly.

"It was badly damaged so, it's very likely we won't be able to know where the Ghost Rider brought it. Plus, it's coated with chocolate potato chips." _Blast! Almost had him_. Apparently, this Vigilante wasn't stupid. Kei thought hard while Arata looked at the ground.

"He returned it? Why would he return it?"

* * *

**MWPSB – Analysist Laboratory 1**

Chief Shimotsuki glared beyond the airproof glass and watched as a mechanical handle brushed and scanned the stolen Dominator. She had heard the news and it bothered her.

"So, there's really no way we can know where this Dominator had been?" she asked. Shion was standing beside her. The analyst blew her cigar to the air.

"Yes. When it was discovered, it was wrapped inside a chocolate potato chips bag. The wrapper was made out of aluminum foil, which can block signals and transmitters."

_'So, our Vigilante isn't stupid. That's not good…'_ Chief Shimotsuki thought gravely as Arata and Kei observed the Dominator more.

"I never thought you could do that with potato chip bags of all things." Arata said with amusement to Kei, who glanced at him with a weird look.

"I'm guessing that our Vigilante has military experience…" He explained to Arata. The inspector moved closer to the glass and then a light bulb inside of him turned on.

"Say, Kei, can I use my mental trace on it?"

Chief Shimotsuki and Kei looked at each other, skeptic of what Arata had asked. "Ok, just as long as you will let me pull you immediately if you start talking in a devil tone again."

"And please don't rotate your head 360 degrees. That will definitely make everyone's Psycho-Passes increase." Chief Shimotsuki said in a mischievous manner, making Arata laugh.

Just then, the air proof glass opened as the machine shut down. The analysis was complete and it showed that the Dominator was beyond repair. Arata breathed in and looked at the handle of his Dominator. Time to meet the Ghost Rider again.

* * *

_It was raining…raining hard._ Arata slowly opened his eyes and met the familiar grey and smoky world. He was sitting on a tatami floor. The room that he was in was a small, tenement sized place. A table was in front of him and on his right was a dirty kitchen.

_A tenement apartment…Wait, does that mean-?_

**"You're here again, you stupid brat!"** Arata's eyes widened and found himself unable to breath as a familiar grip lifted him by his neck.

The Ghost Rider snarled inches away from his face. The fire around his skull crackled dangerously into small tendrils as if it was always ready to burst into a raging inferno.

**"How many times do I have to tell you not to Mental Trace me!?"** The Ghost Rider slammed the man's back on the wall, making the human yelp.

"I'm…not afraid of you-!" He finally mouthed the words with a strong voice. The Ghost Rider tilted his head in a questioning manner, then he chuckled, devilishly.

**"Then this is a good bye!"** He raised his left hand, revealing a Dominator that quickly transformed into Lethal Enforcement mode.

* * *

"No, Arata, don't do it!" a familiar voice called Arata back to reality. The grey world disappeared and was replaced a familiar bright blue-green light.

"What the-?!" Arata was wide eyed. His broken Dominator had transformed into Lethal Enforcement mode and he was pointing it below his chin. It whirled loudly to life as his right index finger pulled the trigger.

* * *

**Somewhere in the Darknet – CommuField - Dark Room**

CommuFields were virtual games and chatrooms that resided inside the vast, monitored, internet virtual space of Sybil System. Thousands of people, all over the country, accessed this place to play virtual games or to chat with someone they knew or liked.

However, in the deepest part of the CommuField, away from the monitoring eyes of Sybil System, lay the Darknet. And just like the internet, it also had CommuFields that were downright sketchy and illegal. This virtual space in the Darknet was called Dark Room.

In the virtual Dark Room, there was a round purple table with a mantle. A huge star was etched on the mantle and there are five people sitting around it. All of them were wearing a straight, white cloth that covered their entire body, and a white mask, with a number plastered on the surface, covered their faces.

"A Ghost Rider had just arrived in this world." The person, wearing a white mask with a number 2, began. His voice was that of a man, deep and bellowing.

"Not just any ghost rider," the man on his left, his masks bearing the number 3, cut him, " _the_ Ghost Rider!"

"Johnathon Blaze? But wasn't he ousted and killed?" the person on the left of Number 3, his mask flashed Number 4, asked with concern.

"Hmph clearly you didn't know who ousted him, Number 4." The man on the left of Number 4 leered his mask. His number, 5, cast over the mask of Number 4. Then Number 4 clicked his tongue and argued.

"Then why on earth did you call him? He'll find us and we'll be damned again!"

"Relax. I, 'Halphas,' got it all under control." Number five, whose real name was Halphas, declared proudly and it earned him several disapproving grunts.

"Make sure then." Everyone turned to the last member, the leader of the group. The leader's mask showed his number, 1. He shifted in his seat as his mask leered to Halphas. "If you fail…then you know what will happen to you." He ended his words in a threatening way, but Number 5 snorted and answered him back, haughtily.

"Of course, I know. I will just make sure that he will hear me. Besides, I am excited to do battle with Jonathon Blaze, the former King of Hell."

* * *

**Elevated Highway – no. ####**

"So that's what happened, hmm?" Kogami said in a surprised tone to Shion. Shion, from her screen, nodded. "Yes, Arata almost shot himself unintentionally. It's a good thing his partner, Kei, had stopped him and boy you should see Shimotsuki's face. She almost fainted in fear." She said and let out a light laugh.

Kogami grinned and said his goodbye to the analyst before he ended the communication. He sighed and rested his back on his car seat, gliding smoothly along the highway.

"Arata and Kei. You really make a good duo of inspectors, Akane." He looked over at passenger side where a girl with brown shoulder length hair and eyes answered him back with a smile.

"Yes. When I saw their profile, I knew they were perfect for this job." She smiled with gladness and looked out the window. "So…what do you think of this Vigilante? Do you think he's human?" Kogami asked in an inquiring manner.

Akane stared at the buildings and the red orange sunset on the horizon. "Vigilante's are somewhat similar to Psychopaths. The only difference was that Psychopaths choose their victims in a random manner. They often don't create patterns in their crime. Meanwhile, Vigilantes…they have specific targets and they follow a pattern."

Akane crossed her arms over her chest and resumed. "This Ghost Rider, I think he's human. Because, if he was a strange being, why would he let Arata go? And why would he leave an apologetic note when he returned his Dominator to him?"

Kogami took out a small piece of paper that he acquired before Shion sent the Dominator to the analysis lab. The paper had been taped on the Dominator and it was a good thing that Shion found it and gave it to him.

_'I get a feeling that MOFA will soon need to work together with MWPSB in capturing this man.'_ Kogami thought before he read the note again.

**"I'm sorry for hurting the inspector and the two enforcers. I don't really mean it."**


	4. Case 2-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arata and his team began their investigations. Johnny prepared himself for a battle against a demon called 'Halphas'. How will the battle turn out?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Comics Ghost Rider and the anime Psycho-Pass.  
> Special thanks to Pure red crane for beta-reading.

**Chapter 3**

**Case 2-1: The Ghost Rider (Part 1)**

* * *

_So noisy…_ the blaring of his alarm clock woke Inspector Arata. Eyebags were under his half-open eyes as he reached and turned his alarm off. He pulled himself, sat straight up and glanced around the garage where he always slept.

_Yesterday was a close one._ He recalled the terrifying events yesterday. The whirling of his very own Dominator that was pointing at him made him shiver slightly. "Ghost Rider knows whenever someone tries to invade his mind." He grumbled as his mind wondered in thought. "How could he even control me…unless he isn't human after all." He frowned, but quickly jumped from his sofa and smiled.

"Now then, time to investigate!"

* * *

**MWPSB – Unit 1 Floor**

In the Unit 1 office floor, everyone was busy with their own tasks. Irie and Todoroki were back from the hospital and and both were typing on their computers. Todoroki was reviewing the footage over and over, and each time he watched it, he grimaced to what he had suffered.

"That chain of his…it really came out of his left hand _magically._ And I can still feel it." He murmured as he rubbed his chest and remembered the pain.

Irie, on the other hand, snorted and grumbled. "Well check me out! I got hit by a fireball!" he exclaimed while he looked down to his stomach.

Mao glanced at him with a concerned yet hard look. "I'm glad you weren't blown to smithereens, Irie."

"Aww, thanks, Mao. I didn't know you'd miss me."

"Yes, a little bit." Mao answered bluntly, making Irie squawk to her response.

Kei, however, was sitting silently in front of his computer. His eyes were focused intently on the drone footage of Ghost Rider, galloping through the river's surface. That horse yesterday was this horse. _How was this possible?_ He was deep in thought, so much that he didn't notice Arata entering and greeting everyone good morning.

"Hey there, Kei-chan!' Kei's thoughts were cut as Arata's relaxed face loomed over him. "Ah, Arata. I'm just checking to see if we missed anything yesterday." He paused and his eyes squinted at him. "And by the way, yesterday was a close call."

Arata shyly chuckled, flustered by the events of yesterday. "No need to worry. That won't happen again." He said with guarantee, making Kei frown for a bit. "So then, how will we proceed with the investigation today?" he then asked him in a firm tone. How to proceed? Arata stared at his friend and then he grinned as a plan formed in his mind.

"We'll go back to the Zoo and investigate the nearby buildings around it."

Sho glanced at his computer and then raised his hand. "Excuse me, Inspector. But the buildings surrounding the park are Temporary Tenements for Immigrants."

"Yes," Arata nodded and continued. "When I Mental Traced my Dominator, I saw a room that looks like a Tenement unit."

"A Tenement unit…?" Todoroki tilted his head, questioning the inspector, "What does that mean?"

"It means that's where the Ghost Rider reside. Which could also mean that our mysterious, _magical_ , vigilante…is an immigrant, probably a recent one too." Kei spat the word 'magical' in a ridiculing way, making some of the enforcers smirk in amusement.

"Our reasoning may be full of holes, but we can't leave any stones unturned." Arata said and the Irie burst from his seat.

"Yeah! Let's start the investigate now. I can't wait to punch him in the guts!" he declared, startling Mao, who darted her questioning eyes to him. "What do you mean by that?"

Arata felt his spirit and he only made a nod before he declared. "Now then, let's investigate!"

* * *

**Tenement Apartment Building B**

"Status Check, Kei." Arata stood in front of a staircase inside an apartment building. After the meeting, the whole of Unit 1 had started their investigation. They visited and questioned each immigrant who recently emigrated and entered Japan.

They had started a few hours ago, but they hadn't found anything yet.

"Everything's normal here, Arata. Nothing relevant to our case too." Another dead-end. A low grumbling sound reverberated from his insides. _'That's right. I haven't eaten my lunch yet.'_ He thought and noticed Irie, sitting on the stairs with a tired look on his face.

"No luck in this apartment, huh?" Irie stated in a cold voice.

"Yeah and all of the units looked the same. I thought we'd find something since this Tenement block is near to the Zoo." Arata said in defeat and clicked his device and looked at his holo-screen.

"Last floor, Irie, and then we'll move to another." A groan escaped the enforcer's mouth as he stood up and climbed up the stairs.

* * *

**Apartment 1408**

"In this building's floor, there is only one occupant." Irie double-checked his device as Arata pressed the doorbell.

"The name of the occupant is Johnathon Blaze, right?"

"Yeah, an American." The conversation between the two was cut as the door opened loudly. The occupant of the room, named Johnathon, peaked his head out and looked at them both with inquisitive eyes.

"Yes?" he said roughly at the two.

"Johnathon Blaze, right? Can you understand Japanese?" Arata asked as the man smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I can." He answered in a coolly manner. The two officers took out and showed their IDs, introducing themselves.

"My name is Arata Shindo, CID Inspector, and he is Kazumichi Irie, CID enforcer. We would like to ask you some questions, if it's ok with you." The man scanned their IDs, his blue eyes shifting between them in a studying manner.

"We would like to ask if you noticed anything strange for the past two days?" Arata asked as Johnathon glanced to his left, remembering any strange occurrences for the past two days, but then cast an apologetic smile.

"No, nothing except for the park though. The Police barricaded them suddenly…is something wrong, Inspector?" Johnathon then noticed the Inspector move to his right and began to stand on the tips of his toes. The man found his action weird and he turned to the enforcer who cleared his throat, calling the attention of the Inspector.

"Oi, Arata." Arata stopped and blinked at Johnathon. "Sorry, sir. I'm just checking your height." He beamed his grin at him, making the American man chuckle.

"Just one more question. According to our Sybil database, you're the lone survivor of the immigrant ship, the Aurora, right?" Johnathon looked at the ground and his eyes became serious.

"Yes."

"Must've been tough, buddy. I'm glad you're safe." The inspector said in a kind tone that startled Johnny. The American couldn't reply to what he said. He was gladdened by his words.

"That's all. Keep your mind healthy, Johnathon-san."

"Ah…thanks, Inspector." Johnathon bowed as Arata and Irie walked away.

* * *

"What's with your weird actions, Arata?" Irie asked as the two walked down the stairs. Arata was silent for a second and then he stopped.

"I was trying to smell him. He didn't smell sulfur and brimstone." The inspector put his right hand on his chin. "Also, Irie, the second time I found Ghost Rider during my second mental tracing, I saw something other than his room." He turned around and looked at the enforcer. "It was a glowing, gold medallion. I was trying to see if Johnathon Blaze was wearing it. But I didn't notice anything on his shirt. His height, however…was the same as the Ghost Rider."

_Doing those weird things just for a gold medallion and height…_ Irie whistled in astonishment. He wasn't expecting Arata to do a lot of things in such a short time. "So, are we going to arrest him because of his height?"

The inspector shook his head and pressed his device. "No. That's very weak evidence, but I'll keep him in my mind." He scanned his holo-screen and started reading Johnathon's profile again.

_Heavenly White, despite being a stunt performer and a volunteer soldier for seven years._ He rummaged his mind, but to no avail. He couldn't come up any valid logic to pin Johnny as the mysterious Ghost Rider.

* * *

Johnny stood silently in front of his bathroom mirror. He had just finished being interviewed by two law enforcers and during those minutes, he strongly relaxed himself so his Psycho-Pass wouldn't increased.

"So that's Inspector Arata…Damn, he's sharper than I thought." _That sensitive question earlier would put off any people who had suffered through a traumatic incident._ Johnny sighed heavily. "Good thing Sybil taught me how to relax properly." _'And I know how to act.'_ He added mentally and smirked proudly at his talent.

"Now then I must prepare for tonight." His mood changed as he glanced at the broken phone on top of his table.

_Not yet…later._ He thought grimly as he sat on the floor and crossed his legs. "Reveal." He whispered and the medallion emerged from his chest. "Arata was looking for you. I guess I need to go over my spellcasting." _'Which means I need to recall every demonic spell that I've almost forgotten and recall everything that Strange said to me…ugh.'_ Johnny had lost count of every spell that he had cast throughout his life as a Ghost Rider. Since he was in constant battle with different demons, he could always cast new spells, but at the same time, he would also forget the old ones.

_'But there's one spell that I like.'_ He smirked in a devilish way and then stood up again. "I need a roof."

* * *

**Tenement Apartment - Building B - Rooftop**

Johnny sat in the middle of the dirty rooftop with his eyes closed. He was mentally chanting a mantra as his mind travelled deeper within his subconsciousness. _'Open the treasury of hell…come to me.'_ He minced the words with firmness. His eyebrows connected and twitch as he devoted everything to his concentration.

Suddenly, a large ritual circle appeared. It glowed deep blood red before fire burst around it. Wind shifted and swirled harshly around the ritual seal, carrying the fire to the center. The fire then began to fuse and merge, and began to take form into something that Johnny knew so well.

"Hello there, old friend…ready for a ride?" he opened his eyes and grinned hungrily at the sight before him.

* * *

**Shinjuku Abandoned Zone**

At night, the streets of Shinjuku Abandoned Zone lit up energetically. Stores lined up and it was filled with life. People walked around the streets in a wild and careless manner since the place wasn't monitored by Sybil's surveillance network.

_'It's kind of cramped here.'_ Johnny thought as he slowly moved along the crowd. He was wearing a normal black jacket with a hood over a white shirt, black pants, and boots. He was also wearing a red tengu mask over his face. Even though the place didn't have Sybil System surveillance network, he still couldn't risk being exposed.

"This mask is itchy — hmm?" He paused and slid into a dark alley between two large buildings. He took a peak and eyed a large building at the end of the street. There were two large men guarding the front door. They were likely armed, considering their right hands were inside their jacket pockets. The door behind them displayed the familiar demonic seal of 'Halphas.'

Johnny stood straight by the wall and took a mouthful of air. "Ready or not, here I come."

* * *

The two men by the entrance stood and sternly eyed everyone that passed in front of the building. Their right hands were clutching their guns and both were ready to fire at any threat that came to the building.

Their eyes quickly hardened as they saw an approaching figure. The man was in a black jacket and bore a red tengu mask.

"Sumimasen." Johnny said in a rough way. "I have appointment with your boss."

The two menacing men looked at each other in confusion then back to him. "Our boss doesn't meet anyone. Beat it, _gaijin._ " The first man said.

"Or else we'll beat you up." The second man said. The masked man's head tilted to his right.

"Oh, ok. How about this? You bring me to Halphas or I'll kill you both." He said in a grave, threatening voice, which startled the two.

"Why you-!" the first man reacted, but the second man called and stopped him.

"Wait! The boss just said to bring him in." the second man said while he was holding his earpiece to ear. The masked man shifted his gaze and looked up. He saw a camera on the left corner of the door.

_'Hmm, so he knows I'm here.'_

The first man clicked his tongue, displeased at the order, and grabbed Johnny by his right shoulder. "Come!" The first man then pulled him as the second man opened the door to the building.

* * *

**Halphas's Office – Top Floor**

In a dimly-lit office, sitting behind a sturdy brown desk with both of his feet up, was Halphas. The Chinese-American stared at the screen of the small T.V. sitting on his desk. His right hand held a cigarette between his fingers, and his grey eyes observed Johnny as the two men escorting him suddenly attacked him.

"Fool, you think I would just let you waltz in here." He laughed in a deep, abyssal way and then glanced to his right. "Suo, alert every floor. Prepare for battle." The man named Suo was a tall man with brown skin and a bald head. His black eyes stared at his master before he nodded.

"And take your partner, Yuro, with you." On his left stood man with a similar build to Suo. His head was also bald and had brown skin, similar to his partner. He glanced his black eyes to his master for a second before he followed Suo to the door.

"Since you two are newbies, might as well show me how you'll fair in this battle against the Ghost Rider, eh?" Halphas grinned wickedly as the two closed the door of his office.

Just then, he felt the whole building shake slightly. He glanced at the T.V. monitor again and saw the familiar flaming skull of Ghost Rider. "Ara…guess time to say good bye." Halphas smirked but it was a sad one. He pulled the drawer on his right and took out a silver handgun.

"Time to go home." He murmured deeply as he stood up and walked out of his office.

* * *

**30 mins ago**

Johnny met a corridor that ended at an elevator. "The boss will meet you." The first man snarled behind him. "But only right after we beat you to a pulp. Gaijin!" Johnny turned to his left, but he reacted too late. The second man punched him right on the back of his skull.

He fell and the floor hard. His tengu mask shattered into tiny pieces. "Heh, useless!" The first man growled and stepped on his back.

But then the downed man's hands twitched and moved. The smile of the two men quickly disappeared as Johnny eased and slowly pushed himself up with aloud grunt. "Heh…that was a very… **good…punch**!" His voice shifted and changed into a demonic one as the medallion on his chest made a flaming spark. The short blaze ate and melted his skin away, and then he burst into flames.

The two men screamed as the raging infernal blast pushed them towards the door behind them.

**"Guilty, hahaha!"** The Ghost Rider laughed maniacally and then turned to the corridor. In an instant, ten mercenaries suddenly emerged from the elevator and scrambled around the corridor.

"What the hell is that thing!?"

"It's an Oni!"

"Bring some rockets here now!" The men were startled and shook as they panicked at the sight of the flaming Ghost Rider.

**"No, no, no! I am not an Oni. I am…your worst nightmare!"** The Ghost Rider snarled at them, but the mercenary quickly fired their rifles and guns at him. A rain of bullets hit the Ghost Rider, but he only stood still as the bullets hit and bounced off in his bones. He made a low fiendish chuckle before he started walking.

The men panicked even more and were determined to never stop shooting down the flaming being. "Incendiary grenade!" One of the mercenaries shouted and threw a grenade, but the Ghost Rider caught it with his right hand and threw it behind him towards the door.

The grenade exploded and threw the door to the outside street. **"Fool…Do you think fire could stop me. I'll show you a real fire!"** The Ghost Rider then raised his left hand and took a deep breath before he uttered a spell. **"Burn."**

His left-hand glow red orange and then unleashed a wave of fire. The fire rocketed towards the mercenaries. Their screams of pain and torment echoed loudly, but the Ghost Rider ignored it all. He had seen their sins and they were all guilty to him.

**"Houston, we've got a problem…my awesomeness!"** He laughed viciously and walked towards the elevator.

* * *

**8th floor – Mezzanine**

The Ghost Rider was resting his back on the wall inside the elevator. He was humming the tune coming out from the speakers above him when suddenly the elevator stopped. He grunted and looked up.

**"I'm still far up."** He growled in annoyance and grabbed the doors of the elevator. He yanked and pried the door easily only to be thrown back to the wall as hails of bullets coming from a powerful machine gun hit him.

"Take that!" The mercenary outside roared and watched as the flame around the Ghost Rider's skull disappeared. His machine gun, however, stopped after his bullets ran out. "Reloa-!" But before he finished his word a gush of fire burned him to dust and melted the machine gun from its stand.

**"Whew…Now that's what I call a knock off."** The Ghost Rider stumbled out the elevator and stretched his body, only to stop after he noticed that he wasn't alone.

He was in a Mezzanine floor, and right in front of him was a large group of twenty mercenaries, all of whom were wielding powerful machine guns.

**"…You know, I kinda like your gun-"**

"Open fire!" The mercenary in front shouted and the Ghost Rider swiftly slid on the shadows of a pillar.

**"So many guns…Halphas is truly here."** He laughed deeply and opened both of his hands.

**"Hellfire Forgery: Hell shotguns!"** Fire spewed out of his hands and slowly morphed into a pair of shotguns. Hellfire Shotguns, one of the weapons he loved, though it was second to his most favorite weapon ever.

"My turn." The Ghost Rider stood for a moment before he ran out of the shadows and jumped into the air. He landed in front of the mercenary who shouted first and blasted his head away with his right shot gun. **"One!"** The Ghost Rider counted and pointed to his left, shooting his gun at mercenary to mercenary. **"Two…Three…Four!"** He beelined to the left, shooting three people before he spun and leapt to the air. **"Five, six, seven, eight!"** He fired both of his shotguns in a frenzied way, taking down four people in a row.

**"Heh, I'll give you all more!"** The Ghost Rider jeered as the rain of lead bullets knocked his bones. He let out a battle roar before he pivoted to his right and ran towards a pillar. He used the pillar as leverage and jumped higher into the air. And then he started to spin wildly.

He built up his speed above the group and then fired his shotguns. The Ghost Rider laughed as burning lead showered the mercenaries underneath. Each of his bullets pierced and stabbed the group. The screams of his enemies filled the mezzanine floor and the died down after another discharge of the flaming rider's shotguns rang out.

* * *

**"Now that's a good exercise."** He muttered as he scanned his two shotguns, but his ears caught the sound of man's whimper. He turned his head to his right and saw a man sitting with his back on the stairs. His eyes were crying and his pants were soiled with his own urine.

The man flinched and clutched his small handgun at the Ghost Rider, who towered over him. **_This man's name was Reon…As for his sins,_** the man's memory flashed in the Ghost Rider's eyes and then he snickered.

**"Innocent. It's your lucky day, punk."** The man flinched as the Ghost Rider lifted him up by his collar. **"Now scram. I got a devil to cook."** The man was startled at his reaction, but he quickly bowed at him in thanks and ran.

_**'But he's criminally asymptomatic, so he'll end up in a gutter soon.'**_ The Ghost Rider let out a laugh again and walked up the stairs.

* * *

**Top floor**

**"Last floor, huh?"** The Ghost Rider stood in front of a large door. He opened it and peered inside. The desk on the far side was empty and poorly lit by a single desk lamp. He scanned the room with his hardened gaze and found no sign of the demon, Halphas.

**"Heh, did he escape- Ack!"** Suddenly, the Ghost Rider was pushed inside the room, a hard kick had landed him on the table. **"The heck!"** He quickly stood up and faced his new foes. Two men had entered and locked the door behind them.

They were both large and their fists were ready to defy him. The Ghost Rider growled and raised his shotguns, but the two quickly dived in. Suo, on left of the Ghost Rider, raised his right hand in a karate chop while Yuro, on the right, raised his left hand on the same form.

Both of them hit the Ghost Rider's wrist in, synchronously with force, and dislodged his shotguns. "Fuck-!" the two weren't finished yet. They both uppercut him, which detached his head from his body. The Ghost Rider's skull hit the ceiling and landed on the table, the flames around disappeared and his headless body limply fell to the floor with a loud thud.

* * *

"Holy…he's really burning." Yuro said with a tense voice. He pressed his device on his wrist, deactivating his hologram disguise. Yuro's bald head disappeared and was replaced with black hair. His skin became white and his black eyes stared at the downed burning rider.

"Indeed, Sugo. Supposedly, the MWPSB are the ones in charge of taking care of him." Ginoza said, underneath his disguise as Suo which he deactivated immediately. "In any case, we must arrest Halphas first. Contact the MWPSB, Sugo, we might've, possibly, killed the Ghost Rider."

"I will-"

**"What do you think you're doing?"** A menacing voice surprised the two. Sugo and Ginoza was about to attack when they were both whipped by chains that snaked out of the headless body. The Ghost Rider slowly stood up, his flames burst from the inside, and grabbed his skeleton head.

"Wh-What the-!" Sugo couldn't understand what just happened. He and Ginoza had decapitated him with their punch.

"Just shoot him. Don't let him go near Halphas-!" Ginoza couldn't finish his orders as the Ghost Rider swooped forward punched them both on their abdomens. Their bodies smashed the door and landed hard on the corridor outside.

_'Damn it…!'_ Ginoza's body throbbed, his muscles tensing and aching to the injuries on his back and abdomen. He coughed and blood spilled from his mouth.

**"Sadly, I can't kill you both, Nobuchika Ginoza and Teppei Sugo."** _He knew our names?_ Ginoza looked up at the hollow eyes of Ghost Rider, and frowned in anguish.

**"Since you two know Kogami and Frederica, would you tell them this?"** He squated down and whispered hoarsely. **"Never ever interrupt my hunting…or I'll hunt you, got it?"**

The downed man nodded to him and the Ghost Rider stood up again. _He knew Kogami and Frederica…How!?_ His mind worked furiously, but to no avail. He only watched, bitterly, as the burning rider walked away.


	5. Case 2-2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ghost Rider's first battle concludes and another one begins. The Ghost Rider and Arata finally met and he leaved him with a parting question.  
> Meanwhile the Bureau Chief of MWPSB had uttered a cursed for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own Marvel comics Ghost Rider and the anime Psycho-Pass   
> Special thanks to Pure red crain for beta-reading.

**Chapter 4**

**Case 2-2: The Ghost Rider (Part 2)**

* * *

**Shinjuku Abandoned Zone – Halphas's Weapon Tower**

**'And now for the boss…'** The Ghost Rider thought in anticipation as he opened the door that led to the rooftop. The door swung noisily and the cold wind brushed hard against him. Flames around his head grew larger as the wind fuels it. He scanned the area, letting the lights of the abandoned zone dance and surround him.

And then he stopped after he saw his target. Halphas stood a couple of meters away from him. He was wearing a grey muscle shirt and camouflage pants. His white hair moved as the wind brushed passed him and his grey eyes stared at the Ghost Rider with deadly intent. A pretentious smirk was etched across his hardened face.

"Hello there, Ghost Rider. Or should I call you by your real name?" he said in an arrogant tone. The Ghost Rider growled at him and took a step forward.

**"Reveal your true form, Halphas."** He threatened, his hellfire shotguns materialized in his hands.

"Ugh…fine, _Your Majesty._ " Halphas bowed in a mocking way and then a sharp line appeared on his face. The cracks lined up and crawled all throughout his body. Halphas's human skin crumbled as he slowly grew larger. His human face morphed into a beak, his grey eyes became sharper and much rounder. His muscles made a sickening sound of snapping apart as he grew, black fur emerged and replaced his human skin. Feathery black wings spread wide on his back and the Devil Stork towered over the Ghost Rider.

Halphas, according to what the Ghost Rider had heard from other demons in hell, was a Stork with black feathery wings. He was famous for his sadistic nature, but he was also famous for one other thing.

"Now then…you like what you see?" his voice became hoarse as if it came from the deepest part of the earth.

Johnny tilted his head, judging the seven-foot devil, and then shrugged his shoulders, muttering in an unamazed way. **"Meh, Storks like you aren't appetizing enough."**

* * *

Halphas roared loudly like an eagle and moved his wings with tremendous force. Rocket launchers suddenly appeared and hovered behind him. At this instant, the Ghost Rider remembered the other rumors that he had heard. Halphas was Mephistopheles's weapons supplier and manufacturer for his underlings. He loved collecting…and making weapons.

**"Oh…shit."** The Ghost Rider cursed grimly as Halphas waved his right hand. The rocket launchers burst and flew towards him.

The Ghost Rider ran to the sides, avoiding each of the rockets. Explosions rocked the whole building, debris falling to the sidewalk below. **Crap!** The Ghost Rider jumped and rolled on the ground towards a pillar.

**'Ok back up plan-'** But before he could think more, the pillar exploded and the forced of the explosion propelled him towards the edge of the building. **Damn it!** He flicked his right hand, summoning his chain which then attached to the building's ledge as his body flew over the edge, and dangled dangerously high from the ground.

**"Tch. Lucky shot-"**

"Do you need a hand?" The Ghost Rider was startled after he felt his chain tugged. He looked up and saw Halphas holding the other end of his chain and he was smiling wickedly, like the former king of hell was nothing but delicious bird food.

The Ghost Rider growled and activated one of his spells. Flames engulfed the chains but nothing happened. "Ha! I am Halphas, the weapon master of hell. I know every weapon and their weaknesses…and that includes your Hellfire chains!" Halphas laughed and showed his hands. They were both wrapped in gloves made out of chain-mail and imbued with hell magic, protecting him from his hellfire. He then swung the chain playfully like it was a yo-yo.

The Ghost Rider, angered by what Halphas was doing to him, landed his foot on the walls of the building and then forcefully pushed himself. He pitched and rolled on mid-air, but the great earl of hell had predicted such action, he pulled the man with force towards him and punched him right into his guts.

**"Augh-!"** The Burning Rider let out a strained cry and fell to the floor. But the Devil count wasn't finished yet. He quickly bent and wrapped the chains around the Ghost Rider's neck.

"Going up!" he said energetically before thrusting upward. The Demonic count soared up, dragging the former king of hell with him.

* * *

**"Damn it!"** the Ghost Rider cursed and stretched out his left hand, moving his index finger in a pattern, but cried out as Halphas tugged him hard.

"Now going down!" Halphas screamed in pleasure as he swooped down towards the city. The Ghost Rider roared in defiance. The streets of the city below them was filled with moving vehicles. The Demonic count then, before reaching the ground, veered and leveled above a road. The Ghost Rider smacked the pavement with a loud bang.

"Let's have a drive by, shall we!?" Halphas sneered and flew speedily while still tugging the Ghost Rider. Vehicles careened and stopped as the vengeful ghost crashed and smash into them like they were bumper cars.

**"Shit—agh-!"** The Ghost Rider groaned and tightened his right hand around the chain. Pain pierced his body and it slowly numbed him. **'Must. Not. Let. Go!'** he screamed mentally as he crashed on the windshield of a bus, towed again, and then slammed right into a hood of a car.

The devil count checked behind him and snickered at the sorry state of the Ghost Rider. **'Heh, the rumors were true. Johnny Blaze is no longer the strongest Ghost Rider. Trapping him is gonna be easy!'** He smiled from ear to ear at the thought.

* * *

**MWPSB – Lobby Floor**

**'Today's investigation was a bust.'** Arata thought heavily. He was walking across the lobby of the Public Safety Bureau building. He made a heavy yawn as he glanced at the large mantle clock on the wall to his left. The night was already deep. The moon was already high in the sky.

"Maybe, I need to look at these in another angle?" Today's investigation didn't give him answers. Theories and more questions only formed in his mind, which displeased Arata more.

"Hmm?" He was disturbed when his device rang. It was Kei and he immediately answered.

"Oh hey, Kei just got checked out-"

"Arata, we have an emergency: the chief is deploying all of the available inspectors and enforcers right now!" Kei said in a rush, which confused the inspector. _What the hell's happening?_

"Kei, what-?" He was about to ask, but his partner quickly answered him.

"The Ghost Rider has appeared. He's in Shibuya crossing!" Arata stopped his breath for a moment. The Ghost Rider was on the move. He wasn't expecting him to appear right now.

"I'm coming with you!" he said and dashed immediately towards the elevator.

* * *

**Shibuya Crossing**

Halphas soared speedily above the Tokyo's famous crossing, the Shibuya Crossing. The Shibuya crossing was one of the busiest crossing intersections in the world. Hundreds, if not, thousands of people crossed the street every day. And tonight was no exception.

"Ain't this a beauty eh, Ghost Rider?" Halphas said in amazement. He always crossed here every time before, but this was the first time that he saw the place from high altitude. The view was stunning and breathtaking. The Ghost Rider below him grasped around the chains tightly. Flames sprouted and crawled towards the other end. But again, nothing happened. Halphas's magic chain mail gloves deflected his hellfire.

Halphas sighed to the Ghost Rider's poor attack. "How rude of me. You wanna look at the Shibuya Crossing up close right?" He let out a chuckle before diving down.

* * *

**'I'm going to hit-!'** The Ghost Rider rotated his body so that his back would absorb the impact. He landed on the middle of the intersection with a loud smack. A crater was formed underneath him, and the flames around his skull died down.

The busy crowd suddenly stopped as everyone looked at him. His sudden appearance had made everyone stand still in shock.

**"Augh…"** A low painful moan escaped from the Ghost Rider's teeth. Soreness ate his bones, which slowly turned numb as he tried to move. **"Fucking hell…!"** He then thrust his upper body up and rotated his shoulders, groaning about his injured back. The flames around his skull returned together with his sense of hearing, which then began to pick up loud and horrified screams.

**'Huh? Oh right, I crash landed,'** he remembered, momentarily, and looked around. The people around the intersection ran like spooked mice. A lot of them sprinted away from the creepy looking Ghost Rider while most of them were gathered on the sidewalk, creating a large encirclement in the intersection.

**"Hmm, now I'm noticed."** He said in amusement, after seeing a lot of them were hovering their phones, taking pictures or recording videos of him. **'Heh, make sure that I'll look good on those-ack!'** The chains around the Ghost Rider's neck jerked him up, making him yelp. He looked begrudgingly at Halphas. He had completely forgotten that he was still tied to him.

"Hoh, now the whole world knows about you, Ghost Rider, perhaps you would like to say hello?" Halphas hovered in mid-air, ignoring the frightened crowd and their phone cameras below. The Ghost Rider looked down to the ground, seemingly in deep thought, and then a low chuckle poured out his mouth.

' _He's laughing?_ ' A foreboding feeling formed inside the Devil count. He tightened his hands around the chains, startled from the man's unexpected reaction. The Ghost Rider's chuckle became a maddened cackle before he stopped and flashed his right index finger at him.

**"Fool, you think you got me just because you tied my own mystical chains around my neck?"** He stared at him and snickered as Halphas's face turned into an ugly irate frown, clearly clueless to what would happen next.

**"You know, Halphas…my hellfire chains are just one of my favorite weapons."**

Halphas's eyes then widened in a doom realization, _'I haven't seen his motorcycle!'_ "Wait where's your fiendish motorcycle-" And, like it was on queue, Halphas was suddenly shoved to the ground. His body smacked hard on the pavement as the Ghost Rider's motorcycle hit his back squarely.

* * *

**"Hello, my old friend!"** The Ghost rasped the words lavishly as his bike responded by revving its engines. The Ghost Rider's bike was absolutely nothing of this world. It was all colored black. Its headlight was a skull and lights were coming out of its socket as if it was its own eyes. But the most amazing detail was its wheels – both were on fire.

"Agh!" Halphas let out an agonizing cry as the wheels grinded his skin and muscles, dislocating both of his wings. The motorcycle moved and maneuvered beside the Ghost Rider.

"How-?!"

**"I planned it all from the very beginning."** The chains slithered out of the Count's hand and snaked towards the Ghost Rider's chest and left shoulder. **"I know you, Halphas. You love to torture your victims like they're playthings. Truly you're Mephisto's henchman. You love flying and being a show off."** He then walked slowly towards the downed devil and towered over him. **"All I need is…for you to put me on the ground so that I could call my loyal stead."** he said with a raspy, gladdened, deep voice.

**"Now…let's have a drive by, shall we?"** He yanked his chains again and it speedily crawled and wrapped around Halphas. The poor devil cried in a helpless manner as the Ghost Rider moved and sat on his bike. The flames around the wheels shoot out, welcoming his master's presence.

He attached the other end of his chain on the back of his bike, revved up the engines, but stopped after he noticed a small boy on his right standing on the side walked with his phone pointing at him, mouth opened in awe and shock. He stared at him for a moment before he pointed his bony right index finger at his camera.

**"Sybil System sucks!"** He laughed manically as the boy smiled happily before he revved his engines and took off, dragging the chained up Halphas who began to scream for his life.

* * *

**Elevated Highway No ####**

Kei swerved madly to the right as Arata pressed his device and talked to Shion on the other end. "Shion-san, is our drones picking him up?"

"Wait a second…he just entered the elevated highway no ####." Shion dictated. She looked through the drone camera and then was startled. "He's right behind you…and he seems to be dragging something-"

"Whoa!" Kei shouted as his car shook. The Ghost Rider shot passed on their left. The engines of his Hell Cycle roared loudly as the wheels throttled him forward, leaving a burning trace on the pavement.

"Is that-?"

"Yes, that's him! And he's dragging something." Kei said in anger. He pressed his device and called Shion again. "Try to block him, send at least fifty droid blockers!" he ordered as the analyst replied.

"Sybil had done that. The Highway is now blocked."

Arata looked behind him and saw the police wagon trailing them. He pressed his device and called one of the enforcers. "Are you guys ok back there?" he asked as Irie boomed in to his Device's speaker.

"Of course, we are! All four of us are excited to bring him down!"

"No, you're the only one who's excited," Mao said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Arata grinned at the enforcers' riled up spirits. "Ok, a short briefing: Capture Ghost Rider alive!" he ordered and the whole Unit 1 enforcers answered him back.

"Yes sir!"

* * *

The Ghost Rider thundered down the highway. The flames on his head moved and swayed violently, the air fueling it more. Behind him, Halphas stopped his screaming a long time ago. His eyes were closed and his mouth only let out several sharp gasp and grunts of agony.

"No…stop…please." Halphas tried to speak the words but his pleas had fallen in deaf ears.

**'No, why would I stop? You're a demon, you don't deserve this world.'** The Ghost Rider thought coldly. And then he pulled his brakes, his hell cycle rattling and stopping.

**"Tch. Really?"** His eyes focused and zoomed in front. One hundred meters away from him was a row of droid blocker. The Sybil system must have detected him and it pissed him off. He spat an ember on the ground before he pulled the throttle of his Hell Cycle and took off.

"Halt, in the name of the law!" The Droid blockers announced, but it only made the Ghost Rider rev his engines more.

"Halt, in the name of the-"

The Ghost Rider slammed into the first row, metallic sounds of clashing reverberated around the place. He then smashed his way through rows and rows of droid blockers like they were nothing but bowling pins. All were trying to stop him, but the Ghost Rider only flipped his left third finger and cackled madly.

**"Strike bitches!"**

He continued and boosted more speed towards the end of the highway.

* * *

"He what?!" Kei exclaimed loudly as Shion, on the other end of the line, reported to him.

"He smashed right through them. He has now exited the highway." She typed into her computer and tried to predict the Ghost Rider's route. "It looks like he's going to the North Pier."

_'North Pier?_ **'** Arata thought as he pressed his device and looked through the maps. "Is that place abandoned?"

"Yes." Shion answered as the inspector closed his device and turned to Kei.

"We got him. The road ends there." He said in pure determination and looked in front. 'I'll get you this time Ghost Rider.'

* * *

**North Pier – Abandoned Warehouse**

The Ghost Rider burst right through the metallic door of an abandoned warehouse. The engines of his Hell-cycle resounded through the walls of the building. He pulled his brakes, careening to a stop, and stepped down.

The North Pier was facing the opened Pacific Ocean. The lights from the city glowed dimly in the darkened ocean. This was a perfect place to interrogate Halphas. He looked behind him and saw the Devil count moving his shoulders around his chain. He was weak and the Ghost Rider detected it.

"Augh…" Halphas moaned in agony as the chains slowly unfurled on his body. The chains retreated on the Ghost Riders right wrist and the man walked towards him. The Devil gasped in ache as the man took him by his neck and started dragging him across the dirty floor.

**"Now, let's begin our date!"** The Ghost Rider snarled and lifted the poor Devil with his right hand before slamming him into the wall. Halphas let out a strained choke and looked down at the Ghost Rider.

**"The other counts, are they also here?"** Ghost Rider began as the Devil slowly retreated to his human form. He shouted in pain again as the Ghost Rider slammed him into the wall again. **"I didn't tell you to change."**

"Pl-please…I am weak already." Halphas begged and held onto the man's right forearm. "I'll tell you everything, just put me down first." He added while his voice shouted poorly. The Ghost saw the he was telling the truth. He let him go and Halphas grasped loudly, breathing the dirty air around him.

Silence loomed between the two and it unnerved the Ghost Rider more. He was about to roar when the Devil looked at him again. This time, his eyes were sad and his lips form a desperate smile.

"I am sure you have seen it in me, that I don't really have any intention to kill you." The Ghost Rider paused and tilted his skull. He was puzzled to his words. **'That's true though…but…'** He had seen his intentions already and it puzzled him, but Halphas was a devil. And Devils were always liars and bad. He snorted in disbelief.

**"Bullshit."**

"I don't need you to believe in me…the MWPSB is going to arrive here any minute, so please listen to my final words." The Ghost Rider clicked his teeth. He wanted to finish him off, and yet deep inside of him, curiosity of his last plea made him unable to do so. **'The MWPSB will arrive here in 15 minutes.'** "Fine, speak."

The Ghost Rider crouched down and forged another shotgun in his left hand. He then pointed it at the Devil's head. Halphas looked at him, making sure that he would listen, and then made a mournful smile.

* * *

"All five of us Counts escaped hell after you defeated Mephisto." In a melancholic way, Halphas spoke as he looked to his right towards the open ocean. "But we knew immediately that you'd hunt us down because we swore our allegiance to Mephisto…That allegiance was a lie, it was born out of fear. Mephistopheles had tortured us endlessly so we would yield to him."

Halphas closed his eyes and his hellish memories played. The Ghost Rider was also watching his memories, but he didn't react to it.

"When you defeated him, it was a miracle to us. We escaped hell and here we lived as humans…for twenty years." He slowly shifted his dying grey eyes and stared at the Ghost Rider. "It feels nice to live like humans. I thought they were useless, but after I got the taste of their life, I began to regret belittling them." Halphas' smile changed to serene and he glanced down to the ground, reminiscing his human life. "I never ate nor possessed any humans after I came here. Though there were times that I'd done something bad, but those are just situations where my survival or disguise was threatened. Those are my only sins in this world." He looked up again to the Ghost Rider. The man hadn't moved his shotgun out of his face, but Halphas saw his left index finger was not on the trigger.

"I, indeed, sold weapons of mass destruction, but during those times I also asked my buyers not to proceed into their heinous plans. I was nicknamed 'angelic mercenary' because of my naïve attitude." He let out a low keen chuckle and then coughed blood out of his mouth.

"The crime that you stopped on the Odaiba bridge. It was planned by that rookie member of mine. It was never my plan. I knew that they'd be caught by the MOFA and I'd let them to be captured." He glanced back again at the ocean and made a light, sad, laugh.

"I fell in love with someone, and then, for the first time, I also experienced my heart being broken. I met a lot of wonderful people and the same time, a lot of worst ones. I made friends that I adore and then enemies that I hate. The humans are indeed sinful and selfish…and they aren't." Halphas wheezed hard, his lungs slowly being filling with his own blood. Death was staring right into his face.

"Twenty years and I don't regret it. I love this city…therefore I will accept my death, just as long as you're the one who's going to do it." The Devil count moved his right hand and touched the Ghost Rider's shotgun.

* * *

**'What is this…?!'** All throughout the minute, the Ghost Rider was in disbelief to every word that Halphas had said. Even though he kept on activating his ability to read souls, the results infuriated him more. Halphas was still a Devil…with an _innocent_ soul. He stood up and walked in a circle, temper rising as his judgment blurred into nothingness.

**"Goddammit, what the hell! This could be a trick, you're tricking me, aren't you?!"** He charged and shoved the shotgun at his head. **"You're a demon! You deserve to be in hell! Your death through my judgment should be an everlasting cruel punishment…not some kind of shitty, cheesy, salvation!"** He roared in fury. Hatred screamed in to his ember eyes.

But Halphas only sat motionless, his eyes only staring right through him and his calm smile still on his face. "To die by the hands of the Ghost Rider, the avatar of the Spirit of vengeance…is a _salvation_ to some demons."

**"Shut up! I am not your salvation! I will never be!"** Ghost Rider hit Halphas' head with the butt of his shotgun and then he pointed it at him again. He wanted to end him now, but he couldn't pull the trigger. Emotions swirled violently inside him. It made his chest feel uncomfortably heavy.

**'Move, press the trigger. Why won't you press the trigger? You're a Ghost Rider, right?! You condemn the sinful and bring the rampaging demons back to hell right? So why won't you now-!?'**

"I'll help you." The Ghost Rider's raging thoughts were cut as he felt Halphas's right hand grab his left again. The Devil's right thumb was above his left index finger. He lowered his shotgun right into his chest and cast his one final tranquil smile. "Thank you…for listening to me." He said with a gladdened tone and then pushed the trigger.

* * *

A single shot rang out. **"Wha—what-!?"** His mind was still lost and everything happened so fast that he couldn't react on time. He quickly stood up and stepped back. Halphas was lying motionless on the ground, eyes still open and his face still showing his last smile.

**"What the hell!?"** He roared in frustration and threw his shotgun on the floor. He was so lost as to what happened. A devil had tried to trap him just so he could talk about his pathetic life and then he was 'gladdened' that he would be killed by him. No demon had ever showed this kind of reaction to him.

The mixed-up situation stirred something inside the Ghost Rider. He kneeled and grasped the air, hard. **'Why…?'** His chest ached painfully as his heart, wrapped around in a web of flaming cage, beat furiously when a familiar emotion emerged from within his deep dark mind.

**"This feeling…this feeling…its-!"** But before he could fully remember it, the sound of a police siren echoed in front of him. Lights coming from the police car and police droids casted over him. And then a familiar voice boomed and filled his ears.

"Stay where you are, Ghost Rider!" The Ghost Rider slowly shifted his eyes and looked straight ahead. The aloof, goofy inspector, Arata, was standing beside a police car, but he wasn't alone. Twenty or more so inspectors and their enforcers were encircling him now. Their Dominators were lit and were aimed at him. True to what he expect, the whole MWPSB had just trapped him.

* * *

_'Why is he kneeling?'_ Arata questioned the state of the Ghost Rider who then slowly shifted his head to scan everyone.

**'Oh, the whole MWPSB is here huh…wow.'** The Ghost Rider whistled in appraisal, completely forgetting his earlier ordeal. **"Heh, like the stunt I showed to you, Inspector Goofy?"** The inspector clicked his tongue, displeasure to what Ghost Rider said, and trailed the vigilante, who stood up.

"You better stay down, you monster!" Kei barked the order, but the Ghost Rider stared his uninterested eyes at him. And then he called Arata.

**"Say, Inspector Goofy."**

_'My name is Arata!'_ Arata protested mentally, but instead he just let out a disappointed sigh. "What is it?"

**"Despite discovering the reason of your father's suicide, which is the reason why you became an Inspector…why are you _still_ an inspector?"**

Arata's hand shook. _How did he know that? Just how-_ " "Why on earth would you care, you crazy bastard!?" Kei roared back as his Dominator activated and scanned the Ghost Rider.

_**'Warning: Unidentified biological being detected. Target is not legible for enforcement. Trigger is locking.'** _

_'I made sure my Dominator was fixed!'_ Kei protested as the enforcer Sho, who was standing beside him, exclaimed. "Sybil is unable to judge, Inspector!"

"I know that!"

**"Hey, Arata…"** he called again as the whole group winced in terror. " **Answer me…please.** " The Inspector was puzzled by his tone. He had detected sadness hidden behind his hellish voice.

The inspector then lowered his Dominator and answered. The Ghost Rider could only read his lips, because the whirling sound of a drone helicopter flying above him drowned the inspector's words. He only tilted his head and the flames around his skull burst up.

**"Ha! What a loser you are then."** he said mockingly as Arata frowned.

"You asked me and then you-"

"Get down!" Kei suddenly pulled Arata to the ground, a hellish sound drumming loudly above them. The Ghost Rider's Hell-cycle revved up a police car and landed hard on the ground, surprising everyone. It then moved in a circular pattern, its wheels throwing dirt and sand at the Inspectors and enforcers, blinding them temporarily.

"Shit, he'll escape!" Arata shouted as he put his hands over his face, but then he caught a glimpse of the phantom rider. The Ghost Rider sat down and then looked back at him. " **See you later, Inspector Hardy…and Nancy."**

"Wha-?" Arata was confused, but before he could ask, the Hell-cycle blasted away.

"Fool, he's driving towards the ocean!" Kei answered angrily and took off. Arata immediately followed as they both ran as fast as they could.

They both watched in anticipation as the Ghost Rider reached the end of the pier. They were both going to capture him if he crashed hard into the water. But then the unexpected happened. The Ghost Rider jumped…and continued running on the surface of the sea.

"What the fuck!?" Kei and Arata exclaimed in shock as they watched the Ghost Rider thunder across the sea, his loud, lunatic, cackle reverberating everywhere.

"That-that's impossible!" Kei called in dubiety. "That's impossible!" he called again, this time his tone filled with raging fury. Arata, however, stood silence.

_'Ghost Rider…who are you really?'_ He had heard a lot of crazy people laughing madly before, but the cackle of the ghost vigilante, despite being loud, was lonely and filled with bitterness.

* * *

**MWPSB – Bureau Chief's office**

Shizuka Homura watched intently at the drone footage playing on his computer. He followed the Ghost Rider as it rode across the Tokyo Bay. His right finger tapped lightly on the table, and then he clicked his tongue in irate.

"So, he got away." The footage stopped and the Bureau Chief rested his head on his seat, closing his eyes. **'After all this time…'** He opened his enraged eyes suddenly and, after a second, he muttered softly and gently. "Son of a bitch!" For a long time, as long Homura could recall, he had never uttered any curse words before. He had heard them, but he never had the guts to say it out loud. This would be his first time.


	6. Break Case 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny and the New Ghost Rider of Hell had squared off. Chief Inspector Shimotsuki had declared the Ghost Rider as Public Enemy No.1. The remaining Demons continue to hide in the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Comics Ghost Rider and the anime Pyscho-Pass.   
> Special thanks to Pure red crane for beta-reading.

**Chapter 5**

**Break Case 1**

* * *

**One week later**

**Hell**

_'This place...'_ Johnny felt sands slipping out of his fingers. Warm, sharp wind caressed his skin and it made him feel irritated. He opened his eyes and stared right at a blood red sky, his eyes quickly recognizing where he was.

**"I know you're awake."** The same deep voice of the Ghost Rider said. He quickly pulled himself up and cast an uneasy look.

_'I must be dreaming,'_ Johnny remembered that he had been previously sleeping on his futon inside his apartment. And yet right now, he was standing in hell, right in front of his throne. 'I can feel the sands and the air. Astral Projection?'

**"Correct, I called your spirit to come here."** Johnny knew that already. He crossed his arms over his white shirt and glowered in annoyance.

"You said you'd put me in a world where Ghost Riders didn't exist." He began, his tone aggravating per words. "Can you explain why I encountered a demon, and not just any demon – a Devil Count named Halphas?" The Ghost Rider, not falling for his dissatisfied voice, stood straight on the left of the throne. He tilted his head slightly to the left, pondering his words.

**"I am not mistaken, this 'earth' doesn't have a Ghost Rider."** He paused as his orange-red ember eyes stared straight at Johnny. **"I didn't say, however, that there were no demons or devils living in it."**

Johnny tightened his fist and scowled at the new Ghost Rider. "So, you tricked me-!"

**"I didn't. You just didn't ask me."** Anger shot up inside Johnny. He had definitely been tricked by this new Ghost Rider, this new King of Hell, and it infuriated him. He gnashed his teeth as he walked towards him.

"You sly bitch…" he stood and towered a bit against the new Ghost Rider, his mouth curved into an vengeful frown. "The next time I come back here. I'll kill you." His words were rasped and cruel, but the new Ghost Rider only let out a small amused chuckle.

**"You're welcome to try."** Then Johnny found himself yanked and pulled by chains. He let out a yelp as the chains hoisted him up. **"You're a Ghost Rider. You shouldn't complain. If you ever see a Demon or devil, you should know what to do."**

"Damn you!" 'I'll kill you, you unknown Ghost Rider. I'll make sure Hell will have another short-lived king like me!' Johnny trashed around in mid air, but the new Ghost Rider was unfazed. His threat to him was empty and more useless than air.

* * *

"Damn it!" Johnny shouted as he shot up from his futon. Beads of sweat ran down his ashen face. His hair was messy and pointing everywhere. His chest heaved vehemently as he let out several short, sharp breaths. _'I Astral Projected…'_ He was now back in his dirty apartment. His eyes then wandered to his table where a half-eaten, cold, instant ramen stood and right beside it was a black phone.

"Halphas's." The event one week ago flooded his memory. Halphas's dying and smiling face floated around him and he clicked his tongue. "There's no way that I could bring salvation to demons." He said in a bitter tone and glanced down to his golden medallion. "There's no way that…Devils would live peacefully with humans, let alone live like one." _But why was his soul innocent then? How could he say those words with pure honesty?_ Questions after questions sprout out.

"Aghh!" He groaned in troublesome. His mind was completely muddled and in disarray.

_'Good Morning, Johnny. Your Psycho-Pass today is: 50! Your Hue color is still: Heavenly White. Have a good day today!' The silence was broken by the device on his left wrist. Johnny looked at it and pressed its button._

"Taro, open the T.V. please."

The holo-T.V. pop out on the wall. News reports blew around his room as the man walked to his kitchen and opened the fridge. "We're now live in front of the MWPSB building, where Chief Inspector, Mika Shimotsuki, will give her statement regarding the mysterious vigilante that appeared and caused havoc in Shibuya Crossing one week ago."

Johnny pulled out some milk and started pouring it into a glass. "For now, we have an official 'alias' name for this mysterious vigilante," The man paused and his eyes glared at the T.V. "His official 'alias' name is 'Ghost Rider' and he's MWPSB's public menace no.1"

_'Thanks, I get that a lot.'_ Johnny wasn't bothered with what he heard. He had been named and labeled a lot by authorities. _'But this is the first time that I became a Public Menace no.1.'_ He smirked at the new title.

_"Oh Johnny. You have a job meeting at nine o'clock today. Taro-chan wishes you good luck."_ Taro, Johnny's personal A.I. hologram said after popping out from his device once again.

"Eh?! It's 8:30 already!" He gasped and made a dashed to the bathroom to change his clothes.

* * *

**MWPSB – Conference Hall no. 3**

_'Shit!'_ Shimotsuki cursed tensely under her breath. Her predicament right now was grave. The incident one week ago had almost thrown the whole country into chaos. Sybil Internet, e-newspapers, and even News Television had captured the Ghost Rider and the mysterious creature that he had battled in the Shibuya Crossing.

"No way out." She blew hot air in a turbulent way and tried to relaxed herself. "Why can't the Bureau Chief do this press conference?" she asked, agitated to the absence of the Bureau Chief.

"That's because, Chief, the Bureau Chief was summoned to the National Diet." A familiar, calm voice, came out of her device. _'Akane-senpai.'_ Shimotsuki grumbled anxiously. Somehow, her the former inspector's voice relaxed her down a bit.

"I know that, senpai-" She suddenly stopped and blushed. She remembered that Akane was already an enforcer while she was the Chief Inspector. Her position was higher than her.

She could feel Akane's smile from the other end. "Chief, just remember to calm yourself and stick to the script given by the Bureau Chief."

_'I know that.'_ The Chief Inspector had already reviewed the whole script many times before this press conference. But still, unforeseeable questions could throw her overboard, and it would ruin the MWPSB's reputation. She had to get her act intact. "Right, thank you Senpai — I mean, Enforcer Akane."

"No problem." Shimotsuki turned off her device and breathed air once again before she walked towards the podium on the stage.

* * *

"Chief Inspector, where's the Bureau Chief-?"

"Can you give some comments-"

"Is Sybil still working, Chief Inspec-"

As soon as Chief Shimotsuki emerged, relentless waves of questions, coming from news reporters, hit her immediately. Flashes of light, coming from the droid news cameras barraged her completely, but her serious, stoic face didn't move. She stood in the podium, took a short glance around the jam packed conference hall, and then tapped the microphone on the dais. A loud feed back echoed, silencing the whole room immediately.

"Good morning. All of the questions will be answered after this press conference." She said in a stern tone and motioned everyone with her left hand to sit down.

"As far as we know, the MWPSB doesn't have any information regarding the identity of the Ghost Rider." The huge screen behind her displayed a video of the Ghost Rider, rising from a crater in the middle of the Shibuya Crossing. "However, after conducting several investigations, we have only found out that the Ghost Rider _could_ be an immigrant." The whole room then erupted into short burst of awe as some reporters began to throw questions at her, but then she raised her left hand, motioning them to keep quiet. "It's only a possibility, but still the MWPSB will make sure that no stones will be left unturned."

The video played, and the image of Ghost Rider and the strange creature appeared. The video however was heavily modified, for the creature was blurred, making it unrecognizable.

"Some of you may have seen this video on the internet. Sybil system has eradicated all of it, and only the MWPSB has the original file. We will make sure that we catch this…things and stop them from threatening this country."

One of the reporters suddenly stood and asked. "Chief Inspector, even if Sybil had deleted all of the videos, the fact remains that everyone saw the two strange creatures. Are they perhaps aliens?"

_'Again. Aliens, huh?'_ Shimotsuki's right brow almost twitched in irate. One of the topics that were circulating in the net was that Ghost Rider and the creature were both aliens from outer-space.

"I assure you we are looking at many possibilities on what this creature could be, and no, they aren't biological weapons made by the government that have gone rogue." Shimotsuki said sternly and asked, in a peaceful manner, for the whole room to keep quiet.

"One thing's for sure," she spoke again. The bombardment of questions quickly died down. "The MWPSB has determined that the Ghost Rider is a threat and we will enforce him immediately the moment that we find him. So, I ask, on behalf of the MWPSB, that the public to cooperate with us in capturing him and establish order once again to this city."

* * *

**North Pier**

_'Whoa, Chief's totally different today.'_ Arata was absorbed to the press conference playing on his device. He was very much startled to see the Chief displaying a different look today.

"It's a good thing that Chief is holding on." Kei commented with a slight of satisfaction. The Inspector turned off the device as the press conference ended and then shifted his attention to the wall in front of him.

"Ok…so this is where Halphas died."

"Yes, with a single gunshot to the chest. From a shotgun, apparently." Kei said as the Inspector kneeled. The wall was covered by Halphas's blood. Kei's eyes became sharp and scanned the ground for clues. _Scorch marks on the wall. Discharge from the shotgun? But there's no bullet shrapnel._ His mind began to work. His hands swept across the bloodied wall.

"Shrapnel are missing, hmm."

"Which is strange. Halphas died of a shot gun wound. His entire heart was blown up. Shotguns should leave shrapnel." Kogami said and stood beside Kei, who casted a bothered look.

"Yes." _'Great this guy is with us again.'_ Kei was upset at the sight of Kogami ever since he encountered him on the Bifrost case, one year ago. He was wild and determined to capture the culprit, and because of that, he didn't like him at all.

And fate was cruel today. Since The Ghost Rider killed Halphas, which was one of MOFA's target, the bureau chief had suggested to put a collaboration between the two departments. The Bureau Chief was determined to throw two stones against a single wild bird, and the bird was the Ghost Rider.

"And again, shrapnel disappeared."

"They don't just disappear." Kei thought for a moment before asked. "Perhaps they melted?"

"No." Arata answered bluntly. He stood up and cast a deep face to the two. "Kogami-san, Kei, please try to imagine that there's magic in this world." Kei and Kogami looked at each other, confused and lost to what he said.

"Ok, so what if there is." Kogami crossed his arms on his chest. The inspector then took several steps and then stopped. He stood on the spot where he saw the Ghost Rider kneeling and in a daze. He then tilted his head in a puzzled manner before he walked back again and stood near the final resting place of Halphas.

"Weird. Shotguns usually leave many gunshot marks. And yet the Ghost Rider stood on this spot put the shot gun closely to his chest." He glanced back at the two. "If Ghost Rider is crazy…He should've fired immediately, making a mess with his body."

"What are you saying, Arata?" Kei looked down and then realized something. "There were foot prints back then. The shotgun wound was clean. The heart was completely obliterated…Did they have a discussion first? I can see the Ghost Rider walking around before he killed him."

"Which is contradicting to Ghost Rider's personality, isn't it?" Kogami butted in as Arata smiled. The man was catching up to them.

"And there's no Phone with him, which is odd. The victim conducts all of his transaction in there." Kogami added as moved closer to the wall. "Shotgun marks, and again shrapnel-"

"That's because it disappeared…magically." Kei winced slightly to Arata's words, but the inspector didn't notice. "We live in a physical world bound by logic and reasoning. This shotgun that killed Halphas…was nothing out of this world." The inspector reasoned with them. The calm, warm wind of the ocean suddenly blew and swept by. The sound that it created was eerie and foreboding against the pier. Kei felt it, but he shrugged it off.

"Are you making the Ghost Rider's motorcycle an example?"

The inspector nodded and glanced at Kogami. He too had understood the reasoning of the inspector and he felt slightly disturbed. _'Why do I get the feeling that he is correct?'_ He thought gravely and cast a grievous frown.

"And we all saw the video…who would've thought that Halphas could transform like that? And did you see how he crashed on the road?" Arata paused as the two nodded at his words. "He was shoved by the Ghost Rider's motorcycle…that came out from the sky."

"And if, just if, things like that exist due to Ghost Riders's magic, then why not a magical shotgun, right?" Kei finally said while saying the word magic with a strong doubtful tone.

"If that is so then we are dealing with an out-of-this-world vigilante." The three of them stopped and looked to the source of the new voice. A new person – a woman – stood a couple of meters away from them. She was wearing an MWPSB jacket over a black suit. Her hair and eyes were brown and was showing a curious look at the three.

"Yes, you're correct. Who are you anyway?" Arata asked as he titled his head, only to be elbowed softly by Kei.

"Arata, she's Akane Tsunemori. The one who recommended us to MWPSB." Kei said bluntly and salute dthe former Inspector, who only beamed a soft smile. The inspector blinked for moment then his face shot up in red.

"A-Ah, I'm so sorry, Senpai. Uh-! Well-" He stuttered and it made Akane let out a small, delightful chuckle. Kogami smirked at his reaction.

"It's ok. You can relax you two." Akane assured the two and then smiled at Kogami. "I'm glad you haven't done anything to them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kogami ignored her words and shrugged, ignorantly.

Arata went back to his investigation and looked down on the spot of Ghost Rider again. _'It looks like I need to go back again in there.'_ "Say Kei-"

"I know. You want to Mental trace, right?" Kei said with a simple tone. He knew that the inspector would suggest that technique again and it made him cast a worried look at Akane.

"I know how your mental trace works. I can help Kei in pulling you out." She said and beamed at the inspector.

Arata calmly sat down on the wall and positioned himself the same as Halphas was in his last moment. He shifted his eyes on the group and grinned. "Well then, I'll be going." Kei and the rest nodded and the inspector was transported again to the familiar and crazy grey world.

* * *

_It was raining…so hard._ Arata opened his eyes, the sky above him became grey and colorless, the air still and sickly. Brimstone, sulfur. He recognized the scent and it almost made him gag, but then he stopped reacting after he noticed another being standing closely in front of him.

**"…You really wanna die. Eh, Inspector Goofy?"** The Ghost Rider looked down on him, shooting out embers from his eye socket.

Arata didn't answer him first. Another emotion, from Halphas, quickly entered him. He gasped for breath as he felt a heavy feeling of happiness, tranquility and most of all…peace. "This feeling…it's Halphas's-"

**"I know. Isn't it annoying?"** The Ghost Rider said with balked tone. He pointed his left hand at him, summoning a shotgun. The Inspector stared down at the barrel with hardened eyes, but then a new emotion suddenly surged within him.

"He's not scared of you. I don't understand it. He knows who you are and what you do…and yet he begged to be ended by you?" Confusion muddled in him and it made him frown. His last moments didn't make any sense. The Ghost Rider only nodded, knowing that the inspector had reached the same realization as him.

**"This one, I will give it to you. Why do you think, that a Devil like Halphas, would be gladdened to be killed by me, a Ghost Rider?"** _Devil? Halphas was really a monster?_ The Inspector couldn't believe what he had just heard.

_'So Halphas was the creature then. What on earth?!'_ The shock seemed to put him out of focus as he suddenly felt himself being pulled back, and then the grey world disappeared after a loud clap snapped in his right ear. The inspector's vision changed and, in a flash, he was back to reality. His mind was still foggy from all the information he had gained while his chest soared in pain from the emotions that he had encountered.

* * *

"Arata, you seemed to have discovered something." Kei said as he pulled his friend from the ground. The inspector took a deep breath, calming and reorganizing his nerves and thoughts, before he spoke. "There were black feathers found in the Shibuya Crossing, right?"

His partner nodded. Not only feathers, but also traces of skin, muscles and blood were left behind on the ground back on Shibuya Crossing. "I need to ask Shion to compare DNA of those feathers with Halphas's remains…and also, I need to go to the National Library and Museum."

_National Library?_ "What will you do in there? Search for something regarding the Ghost rider?" Kei asked in a questioning manner and the Inspector beamed an understanding grin.

"I think I know who Halphas really is and what the Ghost Rider could be."

Kogami stared with a questioning look, an anticipating feeling building inside him and it made him smile. _'Something tells me he got it right.'_ "Aren't those two wonderful bunch?" He whispered discreetly to Akane, who only made a nod of approval.

"Yes, I am not mistaken," _'I know Arata can solve this.'_ She made a soft smile and continued watching the two.

* * *

**National Public Library and Museum**

After a two hours of boring interviews and meetings, Johnny walked along a bridge deck that connected the two buildings. The National Library and Museum was a large building standing in the heart of the city. Just like its namesake, the library housed all of Japan's educational books and documents. There were lots of people walking past him and most of them were students from different schools or universities. The library was also functioning as a museum.

"Saturdays and Sundays are the museum's usual busy times." Johnny paid attention to the old lady that he was trailing. She had interviewed him and now she was explaining to him about the job that he was applying for, which was 'Librarian's Assistant.' He followed her in silence, answering her whenever she said something to him.

"I was surprise when you first appeared. I never thought that you would be so tall." She said in a jocular manner.

"A lot of people keep telling that to me." Johnny answered as he fixed his wide glasses over his eyes. He was wearing a grey jacket suit over his white, turtle neck shirt, and black slacks. His grey shoes peddle up after they entered on the next building.

* * *

**Study hall**

Johnny's job, as a librarian assistant, was simple. Cataloguing books and research papers within the library. It was a desk job, but it was good for him. If he were to live in this world then, other than hunting demons, he must also have a stable job. Lucky for him, the Sybil system had suggested him jobs that could provide him stable income. And one of them was this job. _'The work requires a low profile. Good thing I fit in to the Sybil's criteria.'_ He sighed in a relaxed manner while his fingers typed tirelessly.

"Oh Johnny-san," the old woman from earlier called him.

"Miranda-san," _Ms. Miranda Suzuki, age 60 and the Librarian. She was innocent, though she had an obsession with cats…_ Johnny, even without forming, had read her soul through his hellfire-enchanted made glasses. The glasses on his face acted like a scanner and detector for sins and demons. _'Truly this invention of mine is handy.'_ He smirked and bowed to his superior.

"Mira is fine, Johnny, since were both gaijins!" The old woman smirked mischievously, making the man chuckle. "I'll be leaving early. If you have some questions just call me, ok?" He nodded. The old Librarian said her good bye and left.

"Ok, time to work like normal humans do." Johnny smirked as he began typing again.

* * *

**MWPSB – Bureau Chief's office.**

The afternoon sunlight entered the window, basking the Bureau chief's office with a warm orange glow. The Bureau Chief was sitting in front of his table, watching Inspector Arata and Kei from his computer screen. The two inspectors bowed politely at Shion and left the analyst alone. As the coast became clear, his stern eyes closed and pressed his device.

"Shion, are the two inspectors leaving already?"

"Yes Chief. Inspector Arata said that he has some research to do in the national library."

_'Searching, hmm…'_ The Chief was silent for a second before a smile formed on his face. "I'll go down there. I need to check something."

Shion bowed and he ended the call. He stood up and sighed in a dissatisfied way. **"Time to play my role."**

* * *

**MWPSB – Analyst Lab 1**

The Bureau Chief entered the lab and Shion immediately greeted him. He then walked towards the glass table and stood. His icy eyes, gazing through the glass, stared unmovingly at the feather and a test tube filled with blood. _'So, this is what remains of Halphas. Not what I was expecting.'_ He thought as the Analyst Shion stood beside him.

"Inspector Arata had asked me to analyzed the remains. And the result was puzzling."

"What's puzzling about it?" the Bureau Chief asked as Shion pressed the glass, summoning several holo-screens displaying the cellular structure of blood and the feather.

"The feather and the blood…are both Halphas's. They match with MOFA's DNA database." Shion began stroking her chin with her left hand, her expression in a frown as she thought.

"The other monster on the video is really Halphas."

The Bureau Chief stood silent for a moment, letting the ambient sound play around the room. "So, we really do have a monster, huh…" He crossed his arms over his chest and made a low groan, inaudible to the Analyst. "Now then how will Sybil react to this?" The Analyst's face turned into a questioning one and the Bureau Chief noticed it. He quickly made a smile and turn to her.

"Continue with helping Arata, Shion. He needs more manpower in this investigation." Shion nodded with seriousness at him and the Bureau Chief walked away, but after he passed the doorway, just before the door closes, he muttered under his breath. **"Otherworldly-manpower, that's what I mean."**

* * *

**National Library and Museum – Study Hall**

"That's the last one." Johnny stepped down from the stool and stretched his back. It was already afternoon. The study hall was almost silent and empty. He had been working for how many hours already and his back felt heavy. He made a relaxed sigh as he pulled his cart towards his desk.

_'After this, I'll have to investigate Halphas's phone. Maybe there's dirt in there.'_ Halphas's Phone was in his apartment. He hadn't opened it yet, but he was sure it must contain something dangerous – probably the location of the other counts. He sat down at his desk and looked at his computer. "I guess I'll put all-nighter tonight."

"Excuse me, could you help me look for a book."

"Sure, what title are you-?" Johnny turned to face whoever called him and then he froze. The startled face of the goofy inspector loomed over him, and it slowly turned into a recognizing one.

"Oh, Johnathon-san, you work here?"

"…Ah! You're Inspector goo- Arata, right?" Johnny remembered the inspector form before. The Inspector laughed a little.

"I'm glad that you remembered my name. It's a good thing you found a job."

_'Shit! What the fucking hell-'_ Johnathon's brain panicked, but he immediately calmed down and played along. "Yeah, all thanks to the Sybil. So, uh, how can I help you?" Johnny asked and maintained his innocent smile at the aloof inspector. His heart, however, was beating fast, more than his hell-cycle's piston engine.

Arata hummed in deep thought and glanced around the empty study hall. "I'm looking for the occult section – not the Sybil standardized one."

_'Oh, he means the restricted section.'_ Johnny's eyes sharpened a bit in suspicion, but he maintained his composure.

"We've only one section like that and it's in the restricted section. Be warned though: it might increase your Psycho-Pass a bit." He said in a professional tone. It was part of his job to warn others of potential mental health risk that a person could get from reading those kinds of books. The restricted section of the library was dedicated to books that were labeled dangerous to mental health by Sybil, but important still for cultural and research purpose.

"That's ok," Arata only nodded in agreement.

_'Of course, since you're criminally asymptomatic.'_ Johnny thought as he stood up from his desk and began to walk.

"Hey Kei, are you coming?" Inspector Kei glanced from his device and shrugged.

"Unlike you, my Psycho-Pass is a bit sensitive."

_'And yet your sin is heavy as hell, Detective Nancy Drew.'_ Johnny noticed the other inspector and his eyes darkened for a second, but he shook his head and fixed his glasses.

"Well then, Arata-san, if you could follow me please." Arata waved his hand at his partner and moved with Johnny towards the restricted section.

* * *

**National Library and Museum – Restricted section**

_'I…can't understand much.'_ Arata glared menacingly at the thick, dusty, large, brown book with the title, Demonica Goetia, lying on the table in front of him. He had spent an hour already and yet he was nowhere near to what he was looking for. He glanced to his right and painfully stared at the tower of occult books that he hadn't checked yet.

"Occult is pretty heavy." He muttered, dejectedly, and slumped in his seat.

"Uhm…Arata-san." The inspector looked to his left and grinned at Johnny.

"Oh Johnathon-san, Arata is fine." He said and went back to his book. Johnny had been watching the glowering inspector and he couldn't help but smirk. He was like that when he was new to the occult and he was seeing himself right now on the Inspector.

"Say, may I suggest this book. According to the net, this one is for beginners in the world of the occult." Johnny suggested and put the book down on the table. The inspector glanced at it, the tittle 'The Lesser Keys of Solomon' was written on its front.

"Solomon. King Solomon?" _'Hmm, I heard that he was famous for something.'_ Arata wasn't much into history, but at least he knew the person. He opened the book and slowly turn each page. "Hmm I hope there's something in here that looks like a stork- Huh?" His eyes caught something and it widened in recognition. _'Found it!'_

"Hello there, the real Halphas." He muttered under his breath as he gazed through the picture of the Devil Count called Halphas, a stork with black feathers. He didn't, however, noticed Johnny, who was staring at him hard, eyes cold and almost lifeless.

_'Hmph, you owe me on this one, Inspector Goofy.'_

"Say Arata, why are you looking for the occult anyway?" he asked in a polite tone.

"Well…its for a case."

_'Liar, you need to work on your lying skills.'_ Johnathon silently scrutinized the inspector, who then looked up to him and smile.

"Thanks Johnathon-san."

"It's Johnny. People call me that," Johnny said and cast a smile at the inspector who resumed skimming through the book.

* * *

**National Library and Museum – The History of Religion Hall**

_'He's gonna take a while.'_ Kei thought and patiently waited for his partner. He wandered aimlessly around the hall. The museum was almost empty and it was near closing time.

"I wonder how Arata is doing-" He paused, however, after he felt someone was watching him. He looked to his left and was startled to see a large holo-portrait. It was a man in large Mitre hat, and dressed in all white clothes. His right hand was outstretched and grasping a glowing golden cross. He was standing in a hall while he pointed his cross at the doorway where a large ugly devil on fire was standing and sneering at the pope.

'POPE ST. PETER AND THE BANISHING OF SINNERS' Kei read the title and gloomed at the holo-portrait again. "Tch, how grotesque." He murmured and then turned around, only for him to stop after his eyes caught the sight of Kogami, standing a few meters away from him.

_'Great, he really has to come with us.'_ He didn't want him to be gone, but he wished that Enforcer Akane had come with them. But the enforcer was called by their Chief Inspector on an urgent meeting and now he was standing with former Unit-1 enforcer in a wide hallway, and surrounded by creepy-looking portraits.

Kogami stared a large holo-portrait of an angel. The angel was in hell, several demons and devils were holding him down. Their sharp talons and claws dug in to his skin and they seemed to be shredding him. The angel's face was stuck in an agonizing pained expression, his right hand up in the air, brandishing a broken weighing scale to the sky.

"The rape of the Angel of Justice," Kogami muttered, making Kei glanced at him.

"That's the title." He added and pointed the name plaque on the bottom of the holo-portrait.

"I can read." Kei reminded in a stern manner, but the former enforcer ignored it. An awkward silence filled the gap between the two.

"I know you're still angry with me because of the Bifrost case." Kogami began, breaking the silence, and it made Kei grunt. It was true that he didn't like him one bit because of that case, but somehow, that anger seemed to die down.

"Yeah, but I would like to ignore what happened during that time so that our team can work together on future cases." Kogami shifted his eyes at him and smirked.

_'What's with that smirk!?'_ Kei stared daggers at him, but he just sighed and looked back at the portrait.

"Pitiful, isn't he? The angel. He went down to hell to give that place an order or law and he had suffered greatly because of it."

"That's rude, can't you see he's working his ass off?" Kei was startled at Kogami's interpretation and then looked back at the portrait. The angel's face was twisted in agony and yet his eyes were enduring and filled with determination. "Hoh, you're right. I never thought you were into paintings Kogami-san."

"No, I am not. And Kogami is fine." He glanced at him and smiled. "We're in equal terms now, as far as I know." Kei couldn't help but freeze at his words. He wasn't expecting the former enforcer to say something like that to him.

"How equal if I may ask?"

Kogami glanced down to the floor. "I have a feeling that MOFA and MWPSB will work together soon. The Ghost Rider, you see, had also hurt my friends." The former enforcer clenched his right fist, anger engulfing his aura and Kei felt it.

_'Oh…that's what he meant.'_ "Well then, when me and Arata catch the Ghost Rider," He paused as he popped his knuckles, "I'll have you threw the first punch." The two men agreed with each other and continued looking at the portrait.

* * *

**Commufield – Darknet**

"Halphas, No.5, is dead." No.1 said in a deep, grave, saddened voice. The rest of the group glanced down at the empty chair where Halphas had once sat and chatted with them.

"This…is so sad." No. 3 said, his tone filled with worry and sadness. His hands were on his chest, grasping it tightly, trying to bury the painful feeling of losing No.5, but he failed. A small tear drop escaped his mask.

"Calm yourself, No. 3. Halphas may be dead, but as he'll continue living inside our hearts." No.2 said, trying to calm everyone, but he failed for his tone was empty and lifeless.

"Heh, I knew it would happen." Everyone turned their attention to No.4. If they could show their faces, No. 4's face would be displaying an uncaring grin.

"How could you say that!? Halphas helped us escaped hell!" No. 3 shouted in anger, but No. 4 only tilted his head in mocking way.

"Oh please, we helped each other that time. He's dumb. That is what killed him and he deserves it. The problem right now is that the Ghost Rider certainly knows that we exist in this world!" No. 4 thundered hard around the room. With the defeat of Halphas, the four remaining counts were now in a dangerous position.

"We should leave Japan right now! We should've stayed in SEAUn. At least there we could live—"

"Live like animals, again, No.4?" No. 1 said, his voice filled with vengeful fury. "Do you remember why we needed to come to this country?" he asked again, but No. 4 didn't answer him. "We aimed to live in peace! We escaped hell, only to land in this hellish world! But this country was the only peaceful one on this earth, and so we came here…and we will stay here!" No. 1 finished his furious rant and shifted in his seat.

No one talked for a moment, the unnerving ambient sound of the virtual network filling their ears. It was a cruel silence, as if it forced everyone to reflect on their goals.

"Halphas and I…fell in love in this world." No. 3 began, but his tone was becoming light and hopeful. "I…I think we should remain vigilant from now on. We must look after each other's backs, I mean…" He paused and looked at everyone. "That's what families are for, right?" The other three virtual avatars didn't answer him, but they all made a nod of agreement. "I think…we should also contact our fixer." No.3 continued, but No. 1 raised his right hand.

"I already did that. He said that he'll make sure to keep a close eye on the Ghost Rider using his own force."

No. 3 made a sigh of relief. "It is good that man was the one who discovered and help us to get into this country."

"Yeah…Indeed." No. 4 added with a hint sarcasm, causing everyone to frown at him.

* * *

**Hell**

The new Ghost Rider stood beside the empty throne, looking over at the great boiling lake of fire. His head was hung low and the flames around his skull was similarly small. **"It's been one week since the first encounter."** He moved his head and his ember eyes moved as he turned around.

**"I hope that you will continue your stance on not interfering in this trial."** He looked down at the man, standing on the foot of the raised throne. The man was shrouded in white cloak with a hood over his head. He may look normal to others, as long they ignored the bright yellow, halo, floating behind his head.

The man's halo moved with his head as he looked up **. "Yes. I am a fair person. I will never interfere with your project."** He said in a plain tone, but it made the new Ghost Rider's flame rose up a bit. If only he could show his face right now – it would have formed into a fierce frown.

**"It's not a project…this is a trial run."** He said with a sullen tone and began to walk down from the throne. He reached the other's level and leaned towards him. **"So please, do cooperate on this."** He snarled with an appealing voice. The man turned slightly and looked through his eyes, exposing the lower half of his face.

**"I will, just as long as he won't cause too much ruckus."** He replied softly to him and cast an angelic, pleased smile at the new Ghost Rider.

* * *


	7. Case 3-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny received a tip of an another demon from a suspicious source. Kei began to suspect if there's more creatures like Halphas and Ghost Rider living in this world. The Bureau Chief is acting suspicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Rider, marvel comics and the anime Psycho-Pass.   
> Special thanks to Pure red crane for beta-reading.

**Case 3-1**

**The Silent Forest Hotel**

**(Part 1)**

* * *

**(One Month Later) – Unknown Place**

"Pl—Please someone help me!" The walls inside a dimly-lit corridor screamed and reverberated a man's voice. Loud scampering of footsteps was followed with wheezing, labored breath escaping from his lips. _'Where am I now…? Is this really part of the hotel!?'_ His eyes, wide in horror, darted uncontrollably everywhere, searching for the sight of the one who was tormenting him.

He stopped at a corner and rested his back on a wall. His chest rose up and down as his lungs scurried for air. The man had been running for some time, but to no avail. He could not escape the terror that was chasing him.

"They'll know that I'll be missing. I have no choice!" He pressed the device on his left wrist and the glow of a holo-screen illuminated his frightened face.

"I am Inspector Marol of the MWPSB 4th Unit. I am in trouble—" A loud screeching metallic sound, coming from the other end of the corridor, where he had been, echoed sharply and interrupted his video recording, "I don't know what they are. Demons! They're demons. To the chief inspector, tell this to Unit-1. The Devil is here!"

He turned off his device and took a mouthful of air before he turned to the corner. And then he gasped, his eyes widened in terror. A black creature stood in front of him. It was huge and tall. Its horns let out a metallic screeching sound when it scraped the roof and the air around him was engulfed with the disgusting aroma of brimstone and sulfur. "He-Help-!" The inspector's knees buckled in fright. He toppled and started dragging his butt across the rough cement floor.

_'Get away!'_ He pushed himself away from the creature. But the creature suddenly lunged itself at him and pushed the inspector's back towards the wall behind him. Its face was now inches away from the man.

"Heh, finished your video?" It spoke in a deep curdling voice.

"Pl-Please—let me go! I have wife and kids-"

"Which you've taken for granted – isn't that right, Inspector Marol?"

_'Ho-How? But I was busy with my job-'_

"Is your career really that important? Oh well, I don't really give a damn about you Humans and your relationships!"

_'He can read my mind-_ ' The thought darted passed in the Inspector's mind, but before he could finish it, he let out an anguish scream. The creature's tail made out entirely out of fire pierced the inspector's chest. The man's body then began to glow an orange hue.

"Goodbye, little inspector." The demon laughed in a devilish way as the man burst into flames and killed his last scream.

* * *

**Unknown Place – Somewhere in the outskirts of Tokyo**

The creature stood in an empty garden themed verandah. The night above him was colorless and pitch black, cold air brushing against his black, yellow-spotted, fur. His brown cold eyes stared at the city of Tokyo, its lights glowing dim because of the mountains and hills that obscured his view. His snout blew a white breath before he rubbed both of his hands. The coldness had entered his body.

"You seem to be very active." A new voice called from behind the demon. The creature's ears perked up in alertness but he didn't turn.

"I…was hungry. I couldn't my handle my urge." He reasoned, his deep voice soft. "I swear, I only do this once a year, and after that, I lay low." His words were suddenly filled with worry. The new man clicked his tongue sharply and the demon moved slightly in jittery.

"No. 1 wouldn't like it. It's a good thing I'm keeping it a secret." the man slowly emerged from the darkened corner of the verandah. His footsteps made a soft sound. A light coming from his phone bathed and showed his face. He was a man in his thirties with brown hair and black eyes. His face, hard and humorless, possessed a scar that ran down his left cheek.

"However, this one might be hard." He said in a thick German accent. "You killed one Inspector and an Enforcer. You also imprisoned a girl, the one that you chose as your target tonight." The creature shifted and turned his face away, ashamed of the mistakes that he had done. But the man continued without minding him. "Since the cops are here, it means the MWPSB was already on your tail."

The German grinned and landed his mocking brown eyes at the creature. "Count Furfur…now do you need No. 1's assistance?"

"No, No. 2!" the creature named Furfur shouted in fury at him. But the German scoffed and shrugged both of his shoulders in a dejected manner.

"I can take care of this. I can kill some of them and hide immediately. I will not bother him!"

"You better not." The German said with a heavy, threatening tone in his voice. "And don't you dare contact No. 3. That guy is sensitive and I don't want to deal with this kind of problem anymore." He scowled at Furfur. The demon took a step back in fear. A single sweat of nervousness ran down the Demons Hart's brow, despite the snow that was falling around them.

'Shit…I screwed up.' "I'm sorry, No. 2. I truly am-"

"Tell that to the Ghost Rider." Furfur let out a short shriek in shock and clutched the golden pendant hanging from his neck. "If the MWPSB was on your trail, then he is too." The German warned before walking away, leaving the fear-stricken demon alone.

* * *

**Tokyo Media Studio – Tokyo City – (One Day Later)**

Governor Karina Komiya sat silently and read the paper in her hand. It was still early morning and the sky was peaceful. Her brows were strained and she blew out a frazzled sigh. "This is going to be hard." She said with a small frown. She put the paper on the coffee table in front of her.

"Governor, Ma'am." Karina turned around and greeted her new secretary with a cheerful smile, hiding her uneasiness. "We'll be live in 10 minutes."

"Thanks, I'll be there." Her secretary left her alone, and soon as the door closed, her face became serious. 'Ok, just answer nicely. Like before.' She turned around and faced the mirror. She prepared herself for the interview. The topics that she would discuss were normal and all about to strengthening the country's law regarding the immigrants' rights. However, today, she was expected to be asked by the audience about the recent new topic – one that she was caught off guard too, like the rest of the country.

"Ghost Rider…" she muttered with a small bothered frown, but she quickly clapped both of her hands on her cheeks, erasing her worrying look. "Ok, just answer them nicely and always remember to smile!" she said with energetic tone before walking out of the room.

* * *

"And that's all for today, folks!" the interviewer said in a joyful manner. The former pop star and Governor of Tokyo waved at the crowd as claps and cheers coming from her fans in the audience filled the studio. The interview was successful. However, what she had prepared for was the next part of this morning live show.

"Now, then let us proceed with the question and answer portion!" the emcee on the stage gleefully welcomed and the Governor crossed her hands on her lap.

'Alright, the most crucial part.' Karina maintained her smile, but her cautions eyes watched as the emcee picked a random person from the audience.

The first person was a man, showing an excited grin, wearing a t-shirt that said 'IDOL KARINA'. He was clearly a fan of the Governor's previous job.

"Umm…hi, Karina-sama! What can you say about the Ghost Rider?"

_And right on schedule._ "Well…what can I say? I was so shock when I watched it while eating my breakfast the day after the Shibuya incident. I dropped my poor omelet du fromage!" The whole audience snickered a laughter as the governor continued, "All I can say is that I thought that Steven Spielberg had visited Japan and was filming a movie in the Shibuya Crossing!"

The audience roared with laughter at silly comments of the Governor. _'Alright got the first question.'_ Karina beamed a confident smile as the emcee called another person from the audience.

The chosen person, a girl, stood up and beamed a nervous smile. "H-Hi, Karina-sama. Do you like what Ghost Rider did there? Are you in favor of him as a Vigilante?" Governor Karina's smile weakened a bit. This was a hard question, but then she softly laughed, regaining a bit of her confidence.

"Everyone loves superheroes, right? If that is so, then as a person, I certainly love a vigilante hero." The audience clapped at her response. The governor then continued. "However, as a Governor, I must always uphold the law. The Ghost Rider may have 'saved' the people from the creature…but he also endangers our Hues. If the Ghost Rider really is a hero, then he mustn't put the law into his own hands. He must either join the law enforcers or cooperate with them."

The Governor answered straightly and firmly with a proud smiling face. The audience rocked and hollered the studio with their voice. They all had agreed to what she said. The Governor then stood up from her seat and waved her right hand. "Everyone, always remember: there's no one alone in the Sybil Society. Everyone is connected!"

* * *

**Myogadani – Abandoned Zone – Tokyo City**

"Pl-Please stop…" a girl wearing a school uniform pleaded helplessly. Her poor voice resonated between the two large buildings that made up an alley. In front of her were three men whose faces were carved into malicious grins.

"Ho, looked at that! A girl from Oso Academy." The first man on the left of the girl giggled as the girl winced.

"Hey little girl, are you lost or are you cutting classes?" The girl let out a yelp as the second man slammed his hand on the wall behind the girl and moved his face closer her.

"It's bad to cut classes you know…Why don't you join us, eh?" the third man invited, but his tone was filled with malicious intent. The girl closed her eyes and winced in shame and disgust as the man began to caress her brown hair.

**"Why don't you three fags leave the girl alone?"** The girl and the three men darted to the source of the new voice.

"Another one?" The girl stared with questioning and helpless eyes at the new man standing at the exit of the alleyway. His face was obscured with a red Japanese tengu mask.

"Huh, who's this?" the third man snarled and approached the new man. His right hand flicked a swiss knife.

"Who you callin' fags?!" the second man berated. His face formed an ugly grin. The man in the tengu mask tilted his head to the right.

**"Why you three, of course."** The sarcastic tone made the veins of the third and second man pop. They both growled guttural sounds and charged. The man grinned underneath his mask as he dropped his bags and opened both of his palms.

"Wh-What the-?!"

"How did we-?"

The two charging men gasped in shock as they found themselves hanging upside down by chains attached to the walls of the buildings that wrapped around their ankles. The third and last man squealed when they were dropped to the ground. His terrified eyes widened in recognition as he realized who was the man behind the tengu mask and black leather jacket.

"Ghost Rider…" It was the girl who muttered first. Her tone was that of in disbelief. The third man screamed as he was pulled by his ankles and dangled upside down beside the girl.

**"Well, that's killjoy."** The Ghost Rider sighed dejectedly while he unziped his black leather jacket. ' **Japan is so hot, seriously. Why did I even bother putting my jacket on!?'**

"Um, thanks." The girl called the Ghost Rider, making him shift his mask at her. He slowly approached her while he spoke.

**"You shouldn't cut classes, Mira Miku."**

_'He knows my name?'_ The girl named Mira opened her mouth in slight shock. She watched the Ghost Rider, who picked up her bag and held it close to her face.

" **Seriously, you'll regret it when you grow up."**

The girl blushed at his sensible words. She took her bag from his bony left hand, made a graceful bow, and quickly took off. **'Heh youth these days with their 'cutting-classes-is-cool' norm and stupid tik-tok dance videos…** ' The Ghost Rider snorted irritably. He picked up his shopping bags and exited the dark alleyway.

* * *

**Apartment 1408 - Tokyo City**

"Huh, and yet crime is still happening here." Johnny watched the morning interview of Governor Karina with scrutiny. All throughout the show he had disagreed with every word that she said. This so called 'Sybil Society' had made everyone weak. He wasn't into politics, but Johnny knew what was wrong with the Sybil Society. It was a paper town, or in this case, paper city. Everyone's desire was regulated and repressed by the A.I. Sybil, making them almost dull, boring and inhuman.

"The Demons and Devils would surely love to feast on those deprived people soon." He muttered in a warning tone as he opened the box and took out a second-hand laptop that he bought from Miyogdani. _'Since I can't access Halphas's phone then hacking is the only way.'_ He glanced at Halphas's phone beside his laptop.

_'Halphas…'_ The memory of the dying devil count played in his mind. His joyful, resigning, smile and last words filled his ears, though it was nothing but a phantom feeling right now. Johnny's eyes, without him realizing it, slowly became glassy as he pitied the devil. "What the hell…!?" He snapped into reality and glared before he pushed himself up from the floor and walked to his fridge. He took out a huge bottle of chilled whiskey before he slammed the fridge's door hard.

_'No, there's no way I would pity a devil!'_ He tilted the whole bottle into his mouth, gulping half of its contents before he cursed loudly. "Shit, I'm not one of those Avengers or X-dudes!" _'I am…cursed. I am Ghost Rider. Former King of Hell, disgraced and now exiled forever. I am the Warden of Hell and there's no any reservation in my job.'_ A grimaced frown formed on his face, but he quickly shook his head and opened the laptop.

"No time to mope. There are demons I need to hunt." The laptop booted up after he pressed the power button and said an incantation. "Hellfire enhancement: Hacking."

* * *

**MWPSB – Unit 1 office floor - Tokyo City**

Irie scratched the back of his head as he strained his eyes on the photocopy picture of the demonic seal of Halphas. The enforcer was completely lost and he didn't have a clue on where the investigation was going. "Say pops, do you believe that Halphas was a devil?"

"That's a 23rd time you asked me that, Irie." The enforcer Todoroki turned his chair halfway to him. He too was still clueless to the investigation. A small pocket book of demonology was laid out in front of him and he had been reading it for the last few hours.

"I still don't think Halphas was a demon…maybe he was really a secret government bioweapon that had gone rogue?"

"Irie, as much as I want to believe that, actual evidence from the crime scenes contradict your suggestion." _'No choice but to believe in this reality.'_ Kei said while sitting and glowering. He was reading an occult book regarding the demons of hell. He was reluctant at first when Arata had started to look at the investigation from another angle – the occult angle. _'What if there are demons or devils who entered in this realm?'_

The device on his wrist rang and he immediately answered.

"Kisaragi, how's on your end?"

"I'm afraid it's a dead end. Shion and I didn't find anything in Ministry of Science and Technology's databanks." Mao said from the other end. The Enforcer was sitting inside Shion's office, waiting for the analyst to finish skimming through the files. "It was a bit hard, Inspector. Some of these words make me dizzy." A low protesting moan escaped Shion while she blew some smoke out of her lips.

"We already narrowed our search to 'Biological and Weapons Division' databanks, but nothing turned out." Mao looked through the computer holo-screen, reading each of the files. "It's as if Halphas had already infiltrated our society long before it."

_'And that's not good.'_ Kei thought of an idea one month ago, back in the museum while looking at the grotesque angel e-portrait. Arata's mental trace had revealed that Halphas had illegally entered Japan twenty years ago, and yet his bogus registration on the Sybil Society was just seventeen years old. The Devil had lived inside Japan for three years straight without being caught by the scanners. And that was very impossible.

"MOFA's data was also inconclusive. Halphas just appeared out of nowhere."

_'And was he alone when he entered Japan?'_ The dreaded thought made him frown, a strained look forming on his face. That was the idea that he had come to. _'If not, then we're dealing with something that we might not be capable of enforcing.'_

* * *

**MWPSB – Chief Inspector's Office**

"Excuse me, Ma'am." Arata's head peered right at the door of Chief Shimotsuki's office. The Chief Inspector didn't respond, her eyes staring at her computer. The inspector then closed the door and saluted the Chief inspector with a tired-looking face.

_'Today was supposedly my Day-Off. I'm planning to study more about the devils later…what now?'_ he thought, half irate and half wondering what seemed to be the cause on why the Chief Inspector called him when she knew it was his Day-Off.

"Arata, we received a distress call from the head inspector of Unit 4." The Chief said while she chewed on a mint that she took from her pocket-sized mint dispenser. A holo-screen then appeared in front of Arata, showing the name of the inspector in trouble and another man who seemed to be his enforcer. "His name is Komia Marol and his enforcer, Ron Achten. They were investigating the disappearance of this woman, Carol Kuzumu." Another Holo-screen popped out beside the two, displaying a woman in her late twenties with shoulder length brunette hair and black eyes.

"According to her friends, she was planning to hike and camp on Aokigahara Forest near the foot of Mt. Fuji. She hasn't returned from her destination for two weeks now. She was reported missing two days ago by her friends." Chief Shimotsuki rested her chin over her right hand. Her brow furrowed as she glowered at the inspector. "Inspector Marol and his enforcer was on the case. They'd found clues regarding her whereabouts inside the forest…and that's where his, and his enforcer's trail ends."

Her hand waved a holo-screen away and then summoned a new one again. "And then, twenty-four hours ago, we received this file." Chief Shimotsuki glanced at the file, an audio type, and played it for the inspector to hear.

"I am inspector Marol of the MWPSB unit-4. I am in trouble-! I don't what they are. Demons! They are demons! To the Chief Inspector, tell this to Unit-1! The Devil is here!" The holo-screen dropped after the file had finished playing. The inspector's mouth hung in shock. 'Demons? Wait, there's another one!?' He couldn't believe what he had just heard. If this was true, then his fear had really happened. There was another Devil, like Halphas, in Japan.

"There's another Devil besides Halphas?"

"Yes, most likely." The Chief Inspector glowered to the fact. The device on Arata's wrist beeped once after she motioned her right hand again, sending a file to the inspector. "Those are the last coordinates of the inspector and the enforcer. Find them and the missing girl, if she's with them." She stood up from her chair and moved to the window behind her. The inspector then asked a question to her.

"Is it possible that the girl had committed suicide? After all…Aokigahara forest is famous for being a 'suicide spot.'"

"The last clues that the inspector had sent to me suggest otherwise."

Arata looked at the screen again, staring at the three pictures before he saluted the Chief Inspector and left.

The Chief Inspector stood all alone in her office once again. She was still staring at the view of the city from her window. "I guess I need to contact sempai and them again." A pained tone, followed by the clicking of her tongue, escaped her lips. She pressed her device and called the former inspector.

"Akane-sempai, I think it's time that we take this matter to them."

* * *

**Apartment 1408- Tokyo City**

_'No, no, no…and most definitely not!'_ Johnny grumbled as he scanned the files from the Devil Count's phone. He was still sitting in front of the table, in the same spot since he started skimming the contents of the phone earlier that morning, missing his lunch in the process. His stomach grumbled, piquing his attention and making him frown in annoyance. But he wanted to go on.

Deep inside of him, he knew he was getting closer and closer to the location of one, if not all, of the Devil Counts.

_'Five of them, their locations should be here somewhere-'_ "Hmm?" His hands stopped as he noticed something. "This is…a record of transferring money." Johnny stared at the file, his eyes sharpening at each and every word and number floating in his screen.

"One Year Ago. The Silent Forest Hotel, at least half a million yen." _'Now that's a lot for a hotel.'_ He paused for a moment and then he continued before he read the same hotel again. And then another. His eyes shone in realization and his face formed a sly smirk. _'Every year, for seventeen years. He had been transferring money to this hotel, but for what?'_ But the Ghost Rider already knew what the devil was doing with that money.

"He's using this hotel as a front to build a small army, isn't he?" He grinned at his own revelation. "Well then, I'll be paying this hotel a visit-" His smile disappeared after a sharp ringtone coming from the phone disrupted his happy mood. He looked at it and saw the words 'PRIVATE NUMBER' display on the screen.

_'This can't be good.'_ He frowned and his brows connected. _'Whoever is on the other side of the line certainly won't be human.'_ "Spare me the introductions, whoever the fuck you are."

* * *

He growled at the phone as soon as he answered it. There was nothing but silence at first. However, Johnny stayed on the line. And then he heard a low, demonic chuckle.

"Heh. Despite being ousted in hell, former King of Hell Johnny Blaze, you still know how to bear fangs and send shivers down the spine of all demons and devils." Johnny couldn't distinguish the identity of the demon through his voice.

_'He's using an enchantment.'_ He thought gravely as the devil spoke again.

"Don't bother. Your Identity Detection ability won't work on me since you can't see me. Not to mention I'm using an enchantment."

_'Figures.'_ "What do you want? It doesn't matter if you're tracking me. I can defeat all of this country's enforcers in one go."

An amused bellowing laughter filled his right ear. He clicked his tongue in disgust. "I know. I also know that you've already hacked Halphas's phone and you're currently searching the whereabouts of the other Devil Counts. The reason why I called you is because I'm going to give you the precise location of one of the Counts – Count Furfur, to be exact."

"Count Furfur?!" Count Furfur, just like Halphas, was a fallen angel and the leader of 26 demon legions. He had rebelled against God and was cast down to hell. And in hell, he was more gruesome than Halphas. He loved to play mind games and trick everyone around him, even in his own legion. He made everyone fight and kill each other. But worst of all was his main power. He was a great manipulator of thunder and wind. Count Furfur, if Johnny would rate him, would be seven. He was more challenging than Halphas.

"Tch. Well that sounds…challenging." He said wickedly, masking his startled tone. "And why would I believe you, a Devil in disguise?"

There was silence at first, but then the voice replied with a sinister tone. "Because he was recently causing a menace. For seventeen years, ever since he established his hotel, he has been kidnapping girls. The reason why the cops aren't onto him is because he has only done it once a year. He always waits for the trail to go cold…until yesterday."

Johnny glanced at the phone, suspiciously, unease to the information coming from the voice. "What happened?"

"He killed an enforcer and an inspector and now the cops are onto him. They already sent someone to his hotel and they will arrive there in exactly two hours." The voice paused as it snorted, haughtily. "It will be a shame if the humans caught a live demon before the Ghost Rider can cast his judgement on it. Also, it would be a shame if…someone had outrun the Ghost Rider."

Johnny knew the voice was taunting him, but the Devil's words made his face darkened. His right cheek twitched irritably and his eyes glared in aggravation at the wall. He was extremely pissed off with the humans catching his targets first. It was his job. It was the Ghost Rider's job. Not theirs.

"Fine. I'll bite."

"Good. Sending you the coordinates. Goodbye for now…Ghost Rider." He heard a sharp click of the phone and the line went dead. Johnny looked down on his phone and seconds later its screen lit up, displaying a set of coordinates. True to the Devil's words and just as he expected, it was the location of Count Furfur, the Silent Forest Hotel.

_'What is it for you?'_ Johnny was suddenly troubled. _'Why would a devil will give away the location of another Devil…?'_ Puzzled by the actions of the caller, he only let out a loud discontented moan. "Mystery isn't good for me. Leave that nonsense to that Spider dude or Doctor Strange." _'Well, I might find more clues if I hunt down Count Furfur and steal his phone.'_ He planned and let out a vexed grunt as he prepared for his departure.

* * *

**MWPSB – Bureau Chief's Office- Tokyo City**

Bureau Chief Shizuka sighed heavily in distress after he ended his call and put his phone down on the table. He rested his back on his chair and looked at the window. The golden sunset bathed his office in a radiating, tranquil, glow. This sight would have calmed his mind, but it couldn't. Because he was expecting the next event that would eventually unfold will cause him great shame to his status and name.

"Sometimes God works in mysterious ways. And most of the time, his works are done by the Demons themselves." A heavy, defeated sigh escape his lips. His eyes slowly shifted back to his computer screen, where a live video feed was playing. He watched with a calm eyes as the figure of Johnny came out of the bathroom of his apartment unit and was preparing to leave.

He then muttered in an unamused tone. **"Johnathon Blaze…do forgive me on this."**

* * *

**Apartment Rooftop**

Johnny walked to the rooftop and felt the cold air of October hitting his face. His black leather jacket ruffled loudly as the man turned to the right and moved towards a normal-looking, black-colored granny bike.

"I'm ready." He muttered and made a wild grin.

"Time to hunt Count Furfur." The medallion on his chest glowed in dark gold light. His skin melted away, revealing his skull and bones to the world. Flames crawled down from his right hand and onto the granny bike which then began to transform its metal structure.

The Ghost Rider watched as his granny bike morphed into its true form – the Hellcycle. He climbed and sat on its seat, breathing in the cold air, which made the flames around his skull grow large.

**"Let's go!"** he roared together with the engines of his Hellcycle and burst towards the afternoon sky.


	8. Case 3-2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny's second battle had begun. The Mysterious demon named Furfur had readied his tricks against him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own Marvel Ghost Rider and the anime Psycho-Pass   
> Special thanks to Pure red crane for beta-reading.

**Case 3-2  
**

**The Silent Forest Hotel**

**(Part 2)**

* * *

**Highway No. ### - Near Mount Fuji**

Cars, buses and other vehicles moved along the highway on the foot of Mt. Fuji. The night was already high. There was nothing but light traffic along the paved road. In one of the cars, a child was sitting and staring outside with bored eyes. He likely did not enjoy his previous destination because he let out a deadpanned sigh. His tiny hands played only his toys, an action figure from a famous anime series. Suddenly, his ears picked up a sound.

The sound was faint, but it eventually roared and filled the car. His father, the one who's driving, hadn't noticed the ascending sound. He looked to his side, only for him to swerve the car violently to the left. The child gasped in shock as a motorcycle shot passed their family car.

The child's eyes lit up in a lively recognition. The being in the motorcycle was a creature that went viral in the Sybil Internet and it made him leap with joy. "Dad, look! It's the Ghost Rider!"

* * *

The cool night air fueled the flames around the Ghost Rider's skull as he swept passed a toll booth. The tool booth rattled a loud alarm, signaling that he had crossed the border without paying. The phantom rider only flipped his right finger to whoever was the attendant on the booth.

**"As if!"** he laughed wildly and his laughter echoed through the silent forest together with the thundering engine of his hell-cycle.

'Now, how much farther?' He whipped his left wrist, and a map glowing red pop out of his device. **"Two minutes…Hmph, I can arrive in 30 secs."** He pulled the throttle hard. The flames on his motorcycle burst high and shot the burning rider forward with a devilish speed.

* * *

Johnny pressed the brakes and his hellcycle squealed loudly to a stop. The headlights of his motorcycle shone at a large black gate, over twenty meters high. Its paint was black and filled with rust. In the middle, welded and formed beautifully, was steel mended into different complicated lines and difficult shapes. The Ghost Rider recognized it immediately. It was Count Furfur's seal and it could only mean that he owned the land beyond the gate.

He had arrived. **"Hehe…ready or not."** Johnny glanced down and read the sign beneath the demonic seal. 'SILENT FOREST HOTEL: CLOSED TEMPORARILY FOR RENOVATIONS' it said, but he only snorted and turned around. He took a couple of steps, gaining distance away from the gate, before he turned around again and sprinted.

**"Knock, knock!"** He leapt from the ground and kicked the black gate. The steel structure cried and crashed to the ground after detaching from its hinges. **"Now…ready or not?"** he asked again to no one as he sat on his motorcycle and moved forward.

_**'What should be my battle strategy?'** _He thought in a wicked manner. His mind was already running so many gruesome scenarios on how to defeat the devil count. He was excited to judge and send the demon back to hell. He wanted let out his lust for destruction, which he had kept inside of him all throughout the day.

* * *

**Silent Forest Hotel – Underground Control Room**

Unknown to Johnny, the whole land and hotel was monitored by hundreds of tiny video cameras and security sensors, all of it were feeding the computers of the control room underneath the hotel. The whole room was dark and poorly-lit by the blue color coming from hundreds of T.V. monitors mounted on the wall. The air inside was stale and bad. There wasn't enough ventilation inside the room.

"So, he really came." A hardened, yet whimpering, voice escaped from Count Furfur. The devil was in his true form. Normally, whenever he wasn't hunting, he would wear his human form. He liked to walk on his human legs and with his back straight. His human face was that of a young white man with short curly hair and sharp purple eyes. But now, everything had changed.

"I—I no longer need to wear it. What's the point? He would see the real me through his penance stare." With anxious eyes, he watched as the Ghost Rider arrived at the front door of his hotel.

There was no point to walk in his human disguise. Furfur's true form was that of a hart, a stag. His skin was adorned with black and yellow-spotted fur. He also possessed a pair of dragon wings hanging on his back and a tail made of fire, which was currently emitting a low-dim glow.

He curled his lips down after the Ghost Rider threw the bell on the concierge table into the wall after pressing it relentlessly. The rider was hungry and already mad and Furfur knew he would be his food to his vengeful fire. He frowned and held tightly on his brown horns.

_'What should I do!? I don't want to die…not yet.'_ He cursed furiously and widened his eyes in terror. Then he remembered his words to Number Two, the German devil who smirked mockingly to his words. He was looking down on him like he was a weak demon, and it made him frown. He was one of the five counts of hell and he had legions like the rest. "No, I'll face him…in fact, I heard that Johnny Blaze is no longer the King of Hell."

He glanced at the T.V. monitor and saw that the Ghost Rider was sitting at the bar, juggling three bottles of expensive whiskeys in his hands before he threw them all on the wall in front of him.

_'I even heard that he's also an idiot. He should be easy.'_ The tense face of the demon changed into a menacing wide grin as his confidence returned. He began to laugh in a wild and uncontrollable way while he spread his arms in the air.

"I-I'll kill him, right here. Right now!"

* * *

**Silent Forest Hotel – Lobby**

The lobby inside was silent and grand. The walls were painted in gold. Large and heavy wood stood and acted as its pillars shone brightly as if it had just been cleaned. The tiles were marble and white, the murals of trees and birds reflecting upon its surface. Sadly, however, a portion of it was already stained by mud and dirt coming from the boots of Johnny, who was now standing in front of the empty concierge.

**"Hello-! Anybody here!?"** he screamed, jocularly, and slammed the bell on the table, expecting a person to come out and greet him. Silence was the only reply of the building, the ambient sound filling his ears and making him tap his right foot. He threw the bell away and glanced at the wall behind the concierge. A group of photos were hanging on the wall.

Previous customers or patrons of the hotel, smiled down at Johnny, and together with them was a white man with curly blonde hair and sharp purple eyes. A large holo-portrait of him dominated the middle of the wall and his name was displayed below it.

**"Gregory Beyts."** The Ghost Rider read and then chuckled. "Well, well, hello there, Count Furfur." Johnny wasn't fooled by his smile. Even though it was a picture, he could see right through his angelic smile – the demonic form of the young man. His heart beat quickened in cruel anticipation.

* * *

**Silent Forest Hotel – Bar Area.**

The outside façade of the hotel was that of a Victorian mansion. Everything was painted in the theme of either white or gold. In the bar area, the man was surrounded by lavish and exquisite furnishing. Johnny was a bit confused at first. For a demonic lair, this place was too fancy, rich and an eyesore. But he just shrugged it off and sat down on one of the barstools.

_**'Tch. Where on earth is he?'**_ He grumbled, impatiently. He went over the bar counter and took one of the expensive whiskeys, sipping on it. **"I'm drinking one of your…expensive shit here!"** he called again in a childish way, but again, silence answered him.

**"Augh, fine I'll do whatever I want!"** he shouted in anger, flames shooting high on the ceiling, and took two more bottles, juggling them like clown in a circus. He glanced around the bar area and the walls. Huge taxidermy decapitated heads of deer adorned the golden wall, their eyes looking straight to Johnny, watching him in an eerie observing-like manner, and it unnerved him to his core.

**"Where the hell are you!?"** he shouted and threw the bottles at the deer. The contents poured all over the floor as tiny bits of glass landed with sharp tips. Johnny, fuming still, watched as the liquid pooled on the marble tiles before it began to trail on the edges of the wall. He blinked, startled at the action of the liquid. He moved to the spot where the liquid disappeared and knocked the wall softly with his right bony finger.

His knocking made a loud resounding echo. Hollow – which could only mean one thing. Johnny chuckled to his discovery and threw his right fist on the wall. The wall collapsed with a loud bang and a creepy-looking dark corridor greeted the Ghost Rider. Just as he expected, the true face of the hotel was now right in front of him.

The Ghost Rider rattled his chains in his hands and made a low rumbling laugh. **"Here's Johnny!"**

* * *

Silent Forest Hotel – Underground Control Room

Count Furfur watched, with observing eyes, the Ghost Rider walking down the stairs. The Underground hotel area was separated into four segments. Block A was the first floor, where the Ghost Rider was right now. The Devil smiled viciously while he tightened a fist in trepidation. He had designed this hotel from top to bottom. Its outward looks may look like it was just a normal fancy hotel, but the underground area was its true face. It was Count Furfur's favorite place.

Every nook and cranny, corner and space, was riddled with traps that could kill a person instantly. The labyrinth underground was his palace and his sanctuary from the judging eyes of Sybil. He made a satisfied grin after the Ghost Rider fell on the floor, face splat, avoiding a trap.

"Now then…about the woman." The Count then slowly glanced to his left, and stared at the door that leads to another dark room. "Shall I use her?"

* * *

**Silent Forest Hotel – Underground Block A**

Johnny slowly poked his flaming skull on a corner. He had just descended from a flight of stairs. The man was now staring at a very dark corridor with no doors. He couldn't see the end and his senses couldn't detect any demons or devils other than Count Furfur, who was, most probably, at the other end of the hallway.

**"Heh, I guess this will be easy."** Jonny scoffed and took a step on the floor. The tile underneath his right boot sunk, triggering a loud thud. Before he could fully react, a shutter suddenly descended and closed the stairwell beside him, his only way out had closed.

**"What the-?!"** Johnny, surprised, half-turned towards the shutter, but then his eyes caught a symbol that suddenly glowed by the wall on his left. The symbol zapped and pushed the Ghost Rider with tremendous force. He landed with his skull flat on the floor.

**"The hell!?" _That was Count Furfur's seal!_** Johnny let out a loud groan of pain. The lightning had paralyzed his body. He felt that his left side was all numb and heavy. **"Fuck…"** He turned his head up and gritted in annoyance.

**"This won't be easy…"** Grumbling, he pushed himself up. However, his right hand pressed another tile, a loud thud echoed again above him. Johnny looked up again, the ceiling opened up and ejected spears. The man quickly rolled to his right, avoiding all the spears that could easily pierce a huge hole on his body.

He stood up and scowled while brushing the dust off his jacket. **"This hotel is going to get a no-star review on tribago—hmm?"** He paused as his eyes landed on one of the blades of the spears. _**'What on earth?'**_ He took one of the spears and held the blade up. Latin words were mended on its surface and Johnny recognized it.

**"Latin words, and it's a blessing seal…from an angel."** The words that were etched on the spear were 'blessings.' The spear was a 'heavenly weapon'. **"Why are there heavenly weapons here?!" _And why did Count Furfur have this?_ **Johnny touched the blade part with his right hand. His right hand sizzled and a scalding pain crawled through his right limb. He let go of the spear, creating a loud clank that echoed through the floor.

**"Damn it!" _'Are there more heavenly weapons beside these spears?'_** The question rattled his mind, fear beginning to sip inside of him. Heavenly weapons, weapons that were made or blessed in heaven were one of his weaknesses. Johnny had just triggered one of the many traps of Count Furfur, and he was sure that most of his traps had 'blessings' on it and there would be more. He gritted his teeth, furious that he was trapped in this place and that he walked straight to the open palms of his enemy.

**_'Relax…just avoid them if you can-'_ **Johnny took a step forward on a tile with his left boot, sinking it to the ground. A loud thud rumbled above him as the whole ceiling opened up. A long line of automated machine guns emerged and aimed right at him.

**"Oh shit."** The Ghost Rider cursed in doom as his body was completely covered with red laser dots. The machine guns whirled and the whole corridor was filled with loud gun shots.

* * *

**"Shit! Shit! Shit!"** Johnny cursed as he bent low and dashed madly. Bullets rained on him on all directions. He extended both of his hands, and his mystical chains shoot out, twirling them haphazardly in the air. This was the phantom rider's only shield. Johnny's chains parried every bullet aimed at him, protecting him from the deadly barrage.

**"Where the hell is the ending of this-? Ah!"** The Ghost Rider yelped after he felt a scorching ache on his left shoulder. He glanced to his left and saw a bullet hole. His eyes widened in terror. **"The bullets…are also blessed!"** The realization almost made him stop, but then he felt another twitch, this time on his right shoulder.

The injury made his heart beat fiercely as the terror bloomed inside of him. The man howled in anguish and pushed himself up. Johnny's boots exploded into fire and it propelled him forward.

**"I will not die here!"** His voice, deep and infernal, screamed throughout the corridor. For a long time, he felt fear and terror in his heart. The desire to survive was always within him, but he hadn't used it for a long time. And now that he had felt it again, it made him feel strange and alive.

**_'Is that the door?!'_** Johnny's eyes caught a glimpse of the door, a white rectangular shape standing by the wall, fifteen meters way from him. Finally, he can get out of this dangerous corridor.

**"Hah! These traps wouldn't stop me-!"** But then Johnny made a terrible mistake. His right foot stepped on a black tile. It sunk under his weight. The wall to the left of Johnny opened up and, emerging from the darkness, were twenty-five small, sharp knives.

The Ghost Rider gasped in horror as the blades of the knives shone brightly in his eyes, showing the familiar Latin words on its surface. The knives were, just like the guns, just like the spears, endowed with heavenly blessings.

**"GAHH!"** Johnny howled and forcefully crouched his head to the ground. His skull hit the floor, making it crack. And because he was still producing thrust from his boots, his whole lower body spun forward. The Ghost Rider tumbled and smashed right through the door. He landed on the floor and quickly rolled to his left, kicking the door to close.

The machine gun whirled down and stopped as its red laser could no longer detect the phantom invader. Johnny had cleared the first block.

* * *

**Underground Control Room – Silent Forest Hotel**

Count Furfur's face was etched in a scared frown. He had just watched the Ghost Rider clear the first block. His eyes were filled with fear and rage again as he gritted his teeth. His hands were balled into fists. He was expecting the former King of Hell to be heavily injured and yet he was just lying on the floor right now.

"No! I expect you to be half-dead!" Count Furfur slammed his fists on the table. He gritted his teeth, frustrated at his predicament. All those guns and painstaking labor of ordering and handling each and every bullets, knives and spears that were 'blessed' by _that angel_ , all of it had gone to waste! Furious that all of his traps on the first block didn't work, he cursed fiercely again and slammed his head on the table with force.

_'No…I'm not done yet. He still has a long way to go.'_ A strained laughter escaped from his lips after he lifted his head from the table. Blood streaked down his injured forehead and onto his maddened grin, but he didn't mind. "How can you escape this block, Johnny, when every weapon in there is blessed!?"

A maddening chuckle escaped his lips.

* * *

**Silent Forest Hotel – Underground Area**

**"Augh…"** a low bellowing sighed escape from the Ghost Rider's mouth. The small sparks on his skull returned as the view of the dark ceiling greeted his sight. He was lying on the dirty floor. He could feel the dust and small debris on his back.

**"That was,"** He paused and coughed hard, **"Intense."** He slowly pulled himself up only to let out a sharp gasp. He felt a pang of pain on his left thigh, making him looked down. A knife was sticking out of his black pants, the uncomfortable burn was coming from the weapon. **"Tch. Damn it."**

Johnny cursed in irate and pulled the knife. The hole on his black pants slowly mended back, together with the skin and muscles underneath it. The man then pushed himself from the ground and blew out fiery air. Half healed, he felt his strength slowly building up.

**"Seriously, this hotel is twisted as fuck."** He frowned and made an evil eye as he slowly poked his head out of the corner.

The hallway wasn't long. This time the end had turned a sharp angle to the right. Johnny then slowly extend his right foot, tapping the hard floor, before finally emerging from his spot. There were no traps in the hallway and it made him breathe with ease.

**"Whew, this must be a saving point."** He made a low chuckle as he walked and scanned his surroundings vigilantly. " **I swear if one of his traps is a pair of creepy twin girls, asking me to play with them, I will lose my shit-"** He stopped his thoughts after his boots stepped on something soft.

He looked down and saw the pile of dirty, burnt clothes of a man lying on the floor. The man squatted down and touched the clothes. **'These clothes…'** The last moments of the owner of the burnt clothes flashed before his eyes. The Inspector, leaning on the wall, was gasping for breath. His outstretched begging hands were pointed to the figure looming over him.

**" _Count Furryfurry_. Heh, so he gave in to his urges, huh."** An excited laughter escaped his lips. The sight of the devil made the flames inside his guts burst out in brutal energy as his hunger for vengeance, which was fueled by the cruel actions of the devil, called out to him more.

"Don't worry. This time, I won't fall for your tricks anymore." The Ghost Rider declared with energy before he turned the corner, towards the next room.


End file.
